Sometimes A Happy Ending Is Just A New Beginning
by MizJoely
Summary: Zutara, set two years after Sozin's Comet, with some Sukka and Taang thrown in for good measure. Warning: Character Death late in the story. Complete.
1. Tell Me How She Died

**Sometimes A Happy Ending Is Just A New Beginning**

A Zutara FanFic

_This story is dedicated to my teenage son and his friends, who were busy doing the happy dance and laughing at my insistence that Zuko and Katara were going to be together, even in light of the events of Sozin's Comet. Nyah, nyah, it ain't over till it's over._

_This story is set two years after Sozin's Comet, and one year after finding Zuko's mother (no, I won't say where she was or what happened to her, bar a few dark hints. Mostly cause I have no ideas in that direction.)._

_Please note: There will be character deaths in this story, some you'll see coming and one (I think) you won't. You've been warned._

* * *

**Part 1: Duress and Courtship**

"Zuko?"

The Fire Lord turned at the sound of that unexpected voice, his face breaking into a smile as he crossed the room. "Mother!" he exclaimed, taking her hands in his and kissing her on the cheek. "I thought you were resting!" Ursa was still weakened by her ordeals, but was slowly regaining strength. His disappearance six months ago certainly hadn't helped; nor had the painful admission that he'd been forced to kill his insane sister.

"I'm feeling so much better now, Zuko, you have to stop worrying so much," his mother chided him gently as she returned the kiss, tiptoeing up to reach his cheek. He remembered her as so much taller; it still startled him to realize how much he'd grown, and how petite she really was.

Zuko peered down at her, an absent frown gracing his features. "Are you sure?" He knew he was being over-protective, but he and his mother had been apart for so many years, and all because of the vile manipulations of his father.

She nodded, squeezing his hands affectionately before removing her fingers from his and walking to the window. She gazed out, saying nothing for a long moment as Zuko joined her. "I missed this view," she said softly, her voice and eyes wistful. "I never thought I'd see it again." She looked back at her son, and her voice caught on her next words. "Or you."

Zuko leaned down and kissed the crown of her head. Ursa seated herself on the wide window ledge. "Did you miss it, this view, when you were exiled?"

Her son nodded, hesitating only a moment before joining her. He could tell she hadn't just come to reminisce, and his gut clenched. _This is the moment, _he thought, panic-stricken. _This is when she asks me about Azula._

Neither his mother nor his instincts disappointed him. "I want to know, Zuko," she said softly, her gaze returning to the view. "I'm strong enough now, physically, emotionally-and I have to know. What happened to my daughter?"

It had been hard enough explaining that her beloved Zuli was insane, even harder that she was dead. But to tell his mother the circumstances surrounding the latter event was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever done. Unconsciously he straightened his back. But tell her he would; he was the Fire Lord, and he had never shirked from his responsibilities.

As he began to speak, his attention focused solely on his mother, the private door to his chambers opened, although neither of the room's occupants noticed as Mai slipped into the room. She was about to announce her presence, but Zuko's first words stopped her in her tracks, held her motionless behind the rich curtains that hung over the door. "It was after she escaped and kidnapped Katara, you know that. I had to go after her; the Avatar was away, her brother and father were back at the South Pole, and besides, Azula was my responsibility."

His mother nodded. "I know. Now tell me the rest."

Mai continued to listen, half-ashamed at eavesdropping, but unable to tear herself away. Zuko had never spoken of those times, the weeks he had been missing, not even after he and Katara had been found and rescued from his sister's insane clutches. She herself had witnessed Azula's death, but he still wouldn't tell her anything about his time as a captive, and as his betrothed, she was torn between allowing him his privacy and demanding to know everything. She'd hoped that, given enough time, he would open up to her, but apparently it was to his mother he was to bestow that honor. She couldn't be jealous of her future mother-in-law, not really, but she couldn't leave, either. Perhaps now she would know what demons haunted his sleep, why he and Katara seemed to be avoiding each other, and most of all, why she occasionally caught him shooting guilty looks at the back of Aang's head when he thought himself unobserved. She stepped quietly back, deeper into the shadows, and settled herself. _This is for his own good,_ she told herself. _How will I make him a good wife if I don't know how to settle his mind?_

"Azula didn't take Katara at random; she hated her, blamed her for her own downfall," Zuko was saying. Information everyone knew, including his mother, but she merely bowed her head in acknowledgment of his words, patiently waiting for her son to get to the part he was apparently having so much difficulty relaying. "And she made damn sure I knew it was her, and even the general direction I had to go to find her..."

His eyes turned inward, and his mother reached out and gently took his hand in hers, studying his face as he did so. Two years had passed since her daughter had gone insane and her husband had been deposed and stricken of his Fire Bending abilities; one year had passed since she herself had been rescued and returned home, and only six months had passed since her daughter had died. Zuko had been willing to tell her everything about his life, even the parts that he was ashamed of. He would tell her this, as well, even though it obviously pained him. But it wasn't just his sister's death; his mother could tell there was more to it than that.

And now, she would know what it was.


	2. Here's What Happened

**ooooooooooo**

"_I have Katara, as you no doubt already know. She's fine, bar a few bruises, and unconscious until I decide otherwise. Poppi juice is so very useful, don't you think? As well as the occasional well-paid accomplice. You didn't really think you'd found _all_ my money, did you? But I digress. If you want to see her again, you'll come to me. Take no one with you, dear brother, or your precious water-bender will pay the price. Not with her life, at least not right away; but I think a scar on her pretty face, one to match yours, would be a good start. Head east for 100 miles and wait for a sign. Your loving sister, Azula."_

Zuko crushed the note in one hand. A wisp of smoke escaped his fingers, and as he opened his fist, the note burst into flames and dropped to the floor, a mere pile of ashes. "Prepare an airship," he ordered, not bothering to see who followed that order. A scurrying of feet told him that his word was being obeyed.

Betraying no emotion, he turned to Mai. "I have to go after her."

Mai had read the note over his shoulder. "But you can't go alone; that's suicide," she protested with uncharacteristic emotion tinging her voice. In more subdued tones, she added: "But if you show up in an airship with a full complement of guards, I don't doubt that she'll do what she says." No one ever doubted Azula's capacity for mayhem.

"I'll take the airship as far as she says, then leave it there with my men."

"And then what? Go striking off into the wilderness on your own?" Zuko turned, cocking one eyebrow in surprise as Mai's uncharacteristically emotional outbursts. One, once in a while, was normal; two in less than two minutes was unheard of. Mai took a deep breath, obviously calming herself. "Zuko, it's suicide," she repeated.

"And leaving Katara in Azula's hands is murder," he replied flatly. His words hung in the air between them for a long moment before he turned to his betrothed and took her hands in his. "Mai, I have to do this. You know I do." She nodded, unspeaking, as he kissed her. She kissed him back, putting every ounce of emotion into it, all the things she still found so hard to say, then stood back and watched as he strode out of the room.

**oOo**

"Oh, Zuzu, you did come. And alone, just as I asked. How well behaved you've become. Mai must be cracking the whip." Azula's taunting voice came from everywhere and nowhere; Zuko whirled, trying to spot her from his position in the middle of the forest clearing her directions had led him to.

"Show yourself!" he shouted, angry at not having spotted her first. "And show me Katara!"

"Oh, very well," came his sister's bored voice. She sounded much saner than she had the last time he saw her; that, coupled with her ability to convince someone to help her escape, led him to the conclusion that she must have regained her senses at some point during her imprisonment, and had been pretending to be crazier than she actually was just for their benefit. Just long enough to get herself free. But of course she couldn't be content with mere freedom; Zuko knew she would never be happy unless she got revenge.

Azula appeared, stepping from behind a tree directly across the clearing. Her hair was pulled neatly back into a pony tail, and her clothing was spotless. A far cry from the creature he'd last seen, with a wild mane of tangled hair she refused to allow anyone near enough to clean or comb, her clothing filthy and torn, no matter how many attempts were made to keep her tidy, no matter how much water and soap was offered. More subterfuge, he concluded in disgust. And it had worked. Score one for the disgraced princess. "I see you've dropped the act," he called, allowing his disgust to show in his voice and eyes.

Azula smiled. "Oh, it wasn't an act, not all of it. Not at first. Prison actually did me some good, dear brother; snapped me back to reality. That's when I began to plan my escape, and revenge." She bowed. "Don't you think I've managed both quite well so far?"

"Where's Katara?" Zuko asked, ignoring her question. "I'm here, you don't need a hostage any more. Let her go."

Azula laughed, throwing her head back and leaning against the tree as if her strength was sapped by the hilarity of his demand. "Oh, no, it's not that easy," she replied after a moment, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. Zuko's eyes narrowed in response; perhaps she wasn't as recovered as she wanted him to believe... "No, first you have to come with me. If you ever want to see that filthy peasant again," she warned, as Zuko clenched his fists, smoke smouldering between his fingers, "then you'll refrain from attacking me."

Zuko forced himself to focus, to release the energy he'd been building up, hearing the wisdom in her words, much as he'd rather not. "Very well," he replied, staring coldly at his sister. "Take me to her."

**ooooooooooo**

"She'd gotten an Earth Bender to help her," Zuko continued in a low voice. "I don't know how, if she threatened him or paid him; he never spoke to me, and he had vanished by the time everything was over. He built her a prison, in the middle of the forest, carved out of a cliff face. The only way in or out was if he created a doorway. That's where she kept Katara, in a cell with only one window, too high up to reach and too small for either of us to get through." He flashed his mother a grim smile. "I know, because after Azula brought me there, after she knocked me out, that's where she put me as well. In the same cell."

"What happened after your capture? The part you want to tell me even less than you want to tell me how your sister died," Ursa pressed, her voice gentle but implacable. "I may not know you very well as the man you've become, but even I could see a difference in you after you returned from your captivity. A difference that didn't seem to be entirely Azula's fault," she added perceptively. "Am I right, or am I reading something into it that didn't happen?"

Zuko ducked his head; had he been that transparent? But if he had, why hadn't anyone else questioned him, pressed him, accused him? Because they were his friends, he concluded silently. And Ursa was his mother. "No, you're right," he finally admitted. Behind the curtain, Mai sucked in a breath, then froze. But she remained unnoticed, and offered a silent prayer of thanks skyward. This was the part she really wanted to hear.


	3. Of Windows And Doors

**ooooooooooo**

Zuko came slowly to consciousness, blinking as his vision blurred, cleared, then blurred again. Something came between him and the meager light; a shadow that slowly resolved itself into a face. A familiar face, wearing a familiar expression that abruptly came into focus as his vision finally snapped back to normal. Even in the near dark, he recognized her. "K-katara?" he croaked, coughing a little to clear his throat of whatever had settled into it. His tongue felt as if it were coated with sand, and he turned his head and spat feebly before trying to rise onto his elbows.

Katara was there in an instant, helping him rise, but slowly. "Don't push it, Zuko; the back of your head finally stopped bleeding and you have lump the size of a melon there." A wry grin twisted her features. "Sorry, but I don't have any water handy to heal you with."

Zuko slowly took in the features of the cell he found himself in. It was dark, lit only by a small square of light far above their heads. As his eyes fully adjusted to the dimness, he noted the few other features of the room; a stone slab that jutted from the wall, holding a few blankets, obviously a bed; a smaller slab that could act as a rude table or chair, and a half-wall. Glancing inquiringly at Katara, she blushed. "Latrine's behind there, but it's too small to crawl into." The blush deepened,. "I already tried. And the window's too high for me to reach, and too small to get through even if I could."

Zuko's eyes continued to travel around the room. "Where's the door?" he asked, getting to his knees and from there to his feet. Katara hovered, but let him stand on his own, knowing how stubborn he was.

"There isn't one."

He stared at her incredulously. "Then how-?"

"She has an Earth Bender working for her, his name is Ukoza," Katara explained. Her eyes clouded. "First he opens a small slit, just enough to look through, then he traps me, then the door opens wider, and then Azula comes." She clutched her arms tightly, unable to stop a small shiver. "Zuko, I thought she wasn't crazy any more, because she seems so in control, but then I saw her eyes." The shiver increased, shuddering through her body. "She hates us, she's insane, and I can't believe you came here knowing that." She looked over at him. "She's going to kill us, you know that."

Zuko nodded. "I know that's what she intends. What I don't know is why she hasn't done so already."

"Because, my darling brother, I want you both to suffer."

The voice came from directly behind them, and Katara sighed. "Oh yeah, and the door doesn't always appear in the same place. Hello, Azula, how nice of you to drop in."

All Zuko could see was his sister's eyes through the small crack that had opened in the wall over the bed, and if he hadn't already been convinced that her sanity was still teetering on the brink, there could be no doubt of it now. She wasn't exactly cackling and twitching as she had been at their last battle, but he wasn't sure how long it would take her to get back to that state. "What's the matter, Azula?" he taunted. "Afraid to face me again?"

Her eyes disappeared and a stream of fire crackled through the small opening, headed directly for Katara. She flung herself out of the way, and Zuko finally noted the charred marks on the walls, all about Katara's head-height. "And she always shoots fire at me at some point, whether she comes all the way in or not," Katara reported wearily. "She misses on purpose most of the time, at least I think she does."

"Of course I do." Azula sounded offended. "I never miss unless I'm trying to."

The opening widened, and Zuko could make out the form of an old man standing off to his sister's left. The Earth Bender moved his arms, and stone shot from the floor of the prison, encasing both Zuko and Katara's hands and wrists. The door opened fully, and the Earth Bender stepped back, bowing as Azula strode into the small room.

Blinking at the sudden light, Zuko stared at his sister, willing her to come close enough to attack. He might not be able to bend it, but he could certainly spit fire at her, kick at her, something...

Insane or not, she was wary enough to remain fully out of reach of either of her prisoners. She paced back and forth in front of the narrow opening, hands behind her back, staring at the two of them.

"Well, well, to be honest, I didn't think I'd get this far in my plans." Azula grinned a nasty grin. "I truly didn't think you'd be stupid enough to follow this peasant, that you valued her enough to come after her yourself. Actually, I thought you'd send the Avatar in your place, let him clean up your mess."

Zuko remained silent as Azula paced back and forth, back and forth. Finally she stopped in front of him. "Nothing to say for yourself? No excuses, no whining?"

"I found Mother."

Azula stiffened at those words, so quietly spoken, then backed up a step, and another, until she was standing just outside the doorway. Without another word, she turned, then whirled back around, throwing a fire ball that narrowly missed both Zuko and Katara. "That's for lying," she snarled. Snapping her fingers, Azula stalked away. Ukoza stepped back into view, gesturing expressionlessly. They watched as the hole narrowed, almost disappearing before they were released abruptly from their stone bonds. The floor once again became smooth, and the final crack in the wall that had once been a door vanished.

Katara rubbed her wrists absently, blinking to adjust to the darker room. She studied Zuko as she did so. "You never told her you found your mother, that she was alive? You never brought Ursa to see her?"

There was no accusation in her voice, although there could have been. Zuko shook his arms to hurry the return of circulation. "No. Mother was too fragile emotionally when we brought her home; it was hard enough to tell her about Azula, much less show her. I just couldn't see the point. And why bother? I thought Azula was so far gone that nothing would bring her back."

"I guess I understand," Katara replied, moving over to settle herself on the edge of the rough stone bed. Still studying him. "So why tell her now?"

"To keep her off balance," Zuko replied, moving to sit next to her. He leaned back on his hands and stretched his legs. "To see what she'd do." He shrugged. "I'm not really sure; I didn't plan to say it, it just sort of...popped out."

"Lucky for you she isn't ready to kill us just yet," Katara observed, leaning back as well. They both contemplated the bare wall in front of them, lost in their own thoughts.

"All right, enough of this," Zuko announced, jumping to his feet. "I'm trying that window."

"It's really tiny," Katara warned him but moved out of his way, pulling the blankets aside in case any errant flames caught them. Zuko nodded acknowledgment of her words, but still leapt upwards, riding the thermals created by his Fire Bending until he was at the window. He caught the rough sill with his hands, then aimed a jet of flame at one of the edges. If he could just enlarge it...

After a few minutes he was forced to admit defeat, and lowered himself carefully to the ground. "The stone's too hard; I'd run out of fire before I could even put a dent in it," he reported tiredly.

Katara patted his shoulder sympathetically, but found nothing to say.

**ooooooooooo**

"What happened after that?"

Zuko smiled at his mother. "A lot of nothing. We ate, we talked, we fell asleep when it got dark out. All our days were like that until Azula came back, which wasn't for another week. But we kept each other company; even though I know Kataa would rather I wasn't a prisoner, I also know she was grateful to have someone else around." His grin widened. "Even if it was only grumpy old me."

His mother laughed. "Oh Zuko, I'm glad to see that all the memories don't bring you sadness."

Zuko turned away. "No, not all of them," he admitted quietly. His mother touched his arm, and he looked back at her. "Azula sent her pet Earth Bender to feed us and bathe us." His nose wrinkled at the memory. "That involved stone-cuffing us to the ground and dumping buckets of water over our heads until we were drenched. He did have the courtesy to leave us some extra blankets after the first time, but he also made sure every extra drop of loose water was sucked into the ground before he left."


	4. Lightning Striking

**ooooooooooo**

"Well?"

"Well what?" Katara asked irritably as she wrung water from her hair.

"Can you use this?" Zuko indicated their soaking wet clothes. "Is there enough to do something to help us escape?"

Katara shook her head. "Not unless you want to die of thirst." She indicated the empty bucket Ukoza had left behind. "This is all the water we'll get for the next week. Azula will be careful not to come near us until she's sure we've used it up, and even then, Ukoza will make sure I can't Bend before opening the door." She sighed. "That's how it worked before you came." She finished bending the water from her clothing and hair, watching as it floated into the bucket with a gentle splash.

She turned to Zuko. "Your turn. Take off your clothes."

"Wh-what?" he blurted out, staring at her. "Why? You didn't have to!"

"I know how much pressure to put on myself," she replied patiently, holding up one of the blankets and thrusting it at him. "I don't want to accidentally pinch you in the wrong place."

Zuko felt his cheeks burning, but took the blanket and obediently moved behind the wall hiding the latrine. Ukoza's work no doubt; he couldn't imagine his sister being so delicate of anyone else's sensibilities. He could hear Katara humming quietly to herself while she waited for him, and wondered at her ability to keep her spirits up even under such hopeless conditions.

"So," she said as he shuffled out from behind the wall, well wrapped in the blanket. "Ready?"

Zuko nodded, and she moved her arms in a flowing twirl. He felt his hair fluff out and watched, fascinated, as the stream of water thus released flowed into the bucket. He waited in silence as she did the same for his clothing, wringing each piece of every last drop of water. Zuko ran his fingers through his hair to try and bring it back into order, than stared up at the window, not bothering to redress himself.

"What is it?" Katara asked, joining him and turning her own head upward. "Do you see something?"

"I wonder if I could blast a larger opening with lightning," Zuko replied absently, completely focused on the thought that had just occurred to him. He gestured, indicating the small opening. "If I keep blasting it, eventually I should be able to make it wide enough for you at least."

"Or you could kill us both," Katara pointed out practically. "By starting a rockslide neither one of us could get away from. Or collapsing the walls. Or electrocuting us."

Zuko turned on her in exasperation. "We have to do _something_! I'm tired of sitting around here, waiting for Azula to show up and finally decide to kill us!"

"Oh, so you'd rather save her the trouble?" Katara shot back, standing with her hands on her hips, her head thrust forward aggressively. "Why do you think I didn't suggest it before, when you were trying to fire blast it? There's no telling how stable this prison is, even if it was made by an Earth Bender!" She gestured at the walls around them. "It's only held to the cliff face by a narrow edge, you saw it when you were brought here-no, sorry, you were unconscious." Katara went from angry to mortified in a flash. "But I don't think it's as sturdy as you might hope."

"I have to at least try," Zuko said through gritted teeth. "I'm getting my clothes back on. When I'm done, go behind the wall. It's the most protected place in here." And the stinkiest, even though the offal seemed to drop a long way through the narrow opening.

Katara blew an exasperated sigh, then flopped down on the bed. "Fine, go ahead and kill yourself. But don't expect me to heal you!" She glared at his retreating back.

Zuko reappeared a few minutes later, tossing the blanket onto the floor. He waited pointedly until Katara pulled herself of the bed with another sigh and flounced over to the latrine area, the blankets bundled up in her arms. "I'm all set!" she called out.

Zuko looked upward, doing his best to judge the distance in the growing gloom. It occurred to him that now wasn't exactly the best time to try this, but he stubbornly decided to press on. There was no point staying here, passively waiting for Azula to come and kill them.

He took careful aim, then forced himself to breathe, to focus and concentrate his energies properly. He'd already been on the receiving end of improperly channeled lightning once, and that was more than enough. When he felt he was ready, he released the energy, aiming it directly at the small window.

**ooooooooooo**

"I take it the lightning didn't work," Ursa said when Zuko paused.

Zuko shook his head. "Not even close. It was exactly as Katara predicted; I sent a bunch of rocks raining down on us. Mostly me," he added, frowning in remembered embarrassment. "At least she had the courtesy not to say 'I told you so.' All I did accomplish was to bring Azula and her Earth Bender down on us."

**ooooooooooo**

"What kind of an idiot are you?" Azula screeched as she glared at Zuko and Katara, once again securely bound in stone. Ukoza stood silently by her side, moving only to Bend the rocks back into place and smooth out the window and walls to their original shapes. "Lightning? In such a confined area? Are you trying to kill yourselves?" She paused in her ranting. "Is that it, Zuzu? Are you trying to rob me of my revenge? Well it won't work! Pull another stunt like that and I'll have Ukoza seal up the window. We'll see how you feel when your air supply starts to dwindle."

She stalked away, flinging a fire ball over her shoulder almost as an afterthought. Katara cried out, and Zuko growled as he saw it had struck her a glancing blow on the shoulder. With a careless gesture, Azula put out the smoldering cloth, then disappeared from view. The wall closed up behind her, their hands were freed, and Zuko rushed to Katara's side. "Let me see that," he said as he gently pulled the burned cloth free of her shoulder.

Katara hissed with pain, then bit her lip, determined not to make another sound. "It doesn't look bad, a surface wound only," Zuko pronounced after a moment. "You really should use some of the water to heal it."

Katara shook her head. "No way. After that, I doubt we'll get any water or even food for a while." She lowered her head into her hands, her shoulders shaking as she momentarily gave into her fear and pain.

Zuko took her awkwardly into his arms, careful to avoid her shoulder. She continued crying only for a minute, then pushed herself away, sniffling and wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands before attempting a smile. "Sorry. Self pity. Revolting. It won't happen again."

Zuko found himself rather wishing it would; she'd felt so warm and natural in his arms. He dropped that thought sharply; he was betrothed to Mai and Katara and Aang were together, and how the hell had those thoughts slipped into his mind in the first place?

"We'll get out of this," he vowed, saying the first thing that came to mind. "Once Aang returns and finds out what happened, he'll come after us. In fact, he's probably already looking for us," he added, feeling hope for the first time. Aang had gone on an extended visit to the Earth Kingdom, promoting his and Zuko's plans for peaceful coexistence. Katara had intended to join him in a few weeks, after Sokka's return from the South Pole. Surely he must have returned by now. Especially when Katara didn't show up as planned.

"He left the day before Azula escaped," Katara remembered. "Almost," she added slowly, "as if she knew he was gone."

Zuko shrugged. "The way she escaped, she had to have informants in the palace. What I don't understand," he added, "is if she does have spies, why she didn't know about our mother being back?"

"You got me." Katara busied herself with refolding the blankets, grateful for the extra ones Ukoza had given them after their last soaking. The nights were cold up here, even though it was barely autumn. And even though she was a South Polar girl, she was wearing only skimpy Fire Nation clothing and sandals. Her shoulder ached abominably, but she determined to ignore it as best she could.

Zuko rose and paced, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I wonder if it's because her spies didn't know...no, that would be impossible," he corrected himself as he sat down on the floor, leaning up against the wall next to the bed. "Everyone knew my mother was found. Even my father," he added with a grimace.

"Well, we know _he_ didn't tell her," Katara said, sliding down next to him. "Ever since he found out she'd gone insane, he didn't want anything to do with her."

"Right, from favorite to reject in one fell swoop." Zuko sounded bitter. "That's his pattern; show one hint of weakness and you're out of favor." He chuckled without mirth. "But if she'd managed to kill us, I'm sure he would have forgiven her for that one little flaw."

Zuko continued to puzzle over his sister's source of intelligence, and its strange lapse, until full darkness was almost upon them. Katara left him in peace, lost in her own thoughts, until she realized how little she could see. "We'd better get settled wherever we're going to sleep tonight," she announced, making the same offer she always did, even knowing his answer would always be the same. "Do you want the hard-as-a-rock 'bed' or the hard-as-a-rock floor?" She offered two of the thin blankets, which he took with a grin.

"I'll take the floor." He busied himself making a serviceable pallet while Katara arranged herself on the bed, cocooning herself securely against the coming cold, but being sure to leave herself enough freedom to take advantage if some circumstance should arise that would allow their escape. An earthquake, perhaps. Or Azula finally losing her fingernail's grip on sanity and simply opening the door without taking precautions. A girl could hope.

**ooooooooooo**

"I seem to be hearing a lot of Katara's feelings," Ursa said as Zuko once again fell silent. "Did the two of you discuss this after you were rescued?"

Zuko nodded, and his mother caught the slight flush on his cheeks. "A little. Mostly it's from what she was telling Aang and her brother when we were flying back on Appa."

"I just wondered," was all his mother said. "You were gone for weeks. Did anything else of note happen, or were all the days virtually the same?"

It was a shrewd question, and the one he dreaded the most. "Mostly they were the same," he finally said. "We talked, we endured getting bathed, we were incredibly thirsty and hungry most of the time, and we were bored out of our skulls between Azula's visits." He winced at some memory, and Ursa's heart went out for him. Whatever she herself had endured, it didn't hurt half as much as seeing her son in pain.

Mai winced as well, although for a different reason. She was hearing an awful lot of Katara's feelings as well, too _much_ about them, to be honest. Zuko was supposed to be telling his mother how his sister died, not every detail of his imprisonment, which left her with conflicting emotions. Except for the continual references to how Katara felt about every last thing, she herself wanted to know about Zuko's ordeal. Or did she? Almost she backed out of the room, but at the last second changed her mind. Betrothed, she reminded herself. Therefore privy to Zuko's personal feelings. And, gods help her, Katara's. Mai rolled her eyes, but stayed put.

"Azula was keeping us alive for a reason, but it was really driving me crazy to be stuck in that prison, even though Katara did her best to make it as pleasant as possible, at least most of the time." A wistful smile crossed his lips at some unknown memory, then swiftly disappeared. "She killed my men, destroyed my airship, and took a great deal of delight in telling me every last, grisly detail. When she started in on her plans for all our loved ones, I sort of lost it. That's when I tried challenging her to another duel. It must have been about three weeks after she killed my men..."


	5. Guilt

**ooooooooooo**

Zuko felt a stab of guilt in his gut when he woke up. It was the same every morning. Azula had killed his men, destroyed his airship, and he was no closer to saving himself or Katara than he was when he first arrived. Three weeks had passed, marked by scratches on the wall, and they were deep into autumn. Judging by the increasing cold, winter was coming early. Katara endured it stoically, made crude robes for them out of two of the blankets, but their inability to keep a fire going was becoming more and more of a drawback. The best he could do was heat up the bed for a few hours at a time, but he needed to keep his strength up and couldn't just keep using himself as a heater. "Good morning," Katara said, as she always did. Zuko could see her breath in a puff of air.

"Good morning," he replied with his own wintry puff, rolling to his side and then to his feet. He stretched, grimacing at the pain in his back. Weeks of sleeping on the floor was finally wearing on him. He sank to his haunches while Katara busied herself with the remains of their last loaf of bread and whatever odds and ends Ukoza had brought them six days ago, or was it seven? Zuko glanced at the wall marks. Seven days. "Azula is due any day now," he added.

Katara nodded as she sat next to him. "Enjoy breakfast," was all she said. He took the food automatically, his mind on how he might get around Azula this time.

Once they were finished eating, they tidied up as best they could. Then each took a side of the room to practice their Bending. They'd fallen into a comfortable routine; Zuko still found it amazing that they weren't constantly at each others throats after being confined together so long. Not that they didn't have their moments, but they managed to get past them, even after shouting at each other like they had last night, when Katara insisted on telling him it wasn't his fault his crazy sister had killed his men, and he hadn't wanted to hear it.

He still didn't want to hear it, but somehow when Katara repeated it before starting her exercises, he was almost willing to believe her. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she moved gracefully through the basics of Water Bending. She wasn't using any real water, of course; they were down to their last bowlful of that as well. He, on the other hand, was happy to actually make fire, even if there was nothing for it to cling to. But it warmed up the room, at least for a few minutes at a time.

Zuko realized with a start that he'd been staring at Katara. Embarrassed, he turned away, hoping she was too focused on her movements to notice him. Cheeks burning, not really sure why, he fumbled his way through a few basic motions, then gave up and simply shot a beam of flame toward the window.

He felt her attention on him then, but kept his back to her, shooting flames until he felt his energy start to give out. Then he stopped, dropping his hands to his sides.

"What are you doing?" Katara demanded. "Trying to set the woods on fire?"

"Maybe then someone would find us," he snarled, suddenly furious, finally facing her. She looked confused, then sympathetic, and that somehow made it worse. Never mind that Katara had been a prisoner far longer than he had, that she was probably feeling just as frustrated and helpless; she was there, and Azula wasn't, and so it was to her that he unleashed his pent up hostility. "This is ridiculous; I'm Fire Lord Zuko, and you're a Water Bender, and we can't even keep ourselves warm. Outsmarted by a lunatic and an old man!" He pounded a fist against the wall, then kicked it, ignoring the pain as he repeated the actions.

"The lunatic is one of the most powerful Fire Benders of our time, and the old man is a very talented Earth Bender," Katara reminded him when his fury had spent itself. She took his bleeding hand in hers and gently bound it up in a strip of cloth he hadn't seen her tear from the edge of her tunic. "We've been in tight spots before, Zuko, and we'll get out of this one like we have all the rest. We just have to have patience."

Zuko offered a wry grin, standing docile as she continued to wrap his aching hand. "Patience. When has that ever been one of my virtues?"

Katara grinned back at him. "We'll work on it, then." She returned her attention to his hand, fussing with the make-shift bandage. "How does it feel?"

Zuko was frozen, unable to move as he realized how much he was enjoying the feel of her hands on his. Without thinking, he pulled her closer, bending toward her, but before he could continue, before he could judge her reaction to his impetuous movement, a crack appeared in the wall in front of them. Flames shot through the narrow opening, causing them to spring apart; almost immediately, the stone floor snaked up and captured their arms. Zuko grunted in pain, clamping his lips tightly shut as he waited for his sister to make her appearance, his mind in a whirl. _What did I almost do?_

But he wasn't too distracted to notice how close they were to the new opening. As soon as the crack had widened to the rough dimensions of a doorway, he watched for his sister to step through, then made his move. Lunging forward as far as he could, he spat flames toward her, hoping just once to catch her off balance.

Azula sprang backwards, narrowly avoiding having her head engulfed in flame. "Move the door!" she screamed at Ukoza as she batted at the few wisps of hair that Zuko had managed to burn. The old Earth Bender merely bowed before doing as she demanded. Zuko could still hear her screaming imprecations at her henchman as the opening shrank and closed, only to be replaced by a new one directly behind them.

"Very clever, brother," she snapped. "But not clever enough. You won't ever get a chance like that again; too bad you missed."

Katara sniffed loudly. "Yuck, it smells like burnt hair in here," she commented, making a face that no one but Zuko could see. He smiled, turning his head to look at his sister.

"I wonder why the Avatar hasn't shown up to rescue you yet," Azula said, her voice dripping with sweetness. "You'd think he'd have rushed to the side of his lady-love as soon as she was kidnapped. Maybe he doesn't love you as much as you think." Having flung that insult at Katara, she turned to Zuko. "I've finally figured out exactly what I'm going to do," she announced.

"What's the matter, Azula? Usually you take a lot less time planning things," her brother replied with a smirk, however forced. Her cruel barb at Katara had obviously hit home; his fellow captive had gone very still, her head averted even from his gaze now. "Having a hard time thinking things through these days?"

"Silence!" she shrieked, then visibly calmed herself, smoothing her hair behind her ears. "It's not that, it's just that I have so many delicious ways I want to avenge myself on everyone, that I've had a hard time choosing. But now I know. After I kill whoever finally finds their way here to try and rescue you, I'm taking back my throne."

Her eyes had a crazed glimmer in them now, and Zuko held out hope that she was finally cracking. "Father may still be alive, but without his Bending ability, he's unfit to rule. He should be grateful I'm willing to free him. But Uncle will die, and the Avatar, the rest of the South Pole peasants and that dirty little Earth Bender...Everyone who betrayed me will die." Suddenly she stared right at Zuko. "Starting with that bitch, Mai. You just got betrothed, didn't you? I wonder if she'll be part of the rescue party."

With a guilty start, Zuko realized he hadn't even thought of his betrothed for days. No, if he was honest, he hadn't thought of her in weeks, not more than fleetingly.

Not more than he thought about Sokka, or Toph, or even Aang. In fact, he thought of his mother more than he thought of the woman he was supposed to marry; what was wrong with him? "I challenge you to a duel," he blurted out, as much to stop his own thoughts as to try and get a rise out of Azula. "Come on, _sister_," he added tauntingly. "What are you afraid of?"

For a moment, a brief, exhilarating moment, he thought he had her. He could see it in her eyes, the desire to free him and take care of him once and for all. But, as quickly as the desire grew, it died. "No," she said, shaking her head decisively back and forth. "Not yet. I have a plan, and I'm sticking with it. You'll just have to wait for the rest of them to get here."

"How can they if they don't know where to look?" Zuko demanded in frustration as Azula strolled back outside, gesturing idly for Ukoza to close them back in.


	6. Ring of Fire

**oOo**

"You shouldn't listen to her," Zuko said, turning to Katara after his sister had once again left them in their stone prison. "You know Aang loves you."

"I've never doubted how Aang feels about me, and nothing Azula says or does could ever change that," was all she said, in a tone of voice that clearly implied she had nothing more to say on the subject.

The rest of the day was spent in quiet contemplation by both of them, until it was time to share the meager dinner they allowed themselves. By then Katara seemed to be back to her usual optimistic self, and Zuko was content enough at her good spirits to allow his own to rise as well.

The room darkened as night fell. Time to settle back onto the floor and get what little sleep he could. He made a face at the thought, but nevertheless gathered up his blankets and started arranging them.

**oOo**

Zuko stirred, wondering why he felt so deliciously warm. His eyes snapped open as he remembered.

"_Zuko, you're crazy to keep sleeping on the floor," Katara had complained as he tried to get comfortable. "We need to conserve body heat or we'll be too weak to do take advantage if Azula makes another mistake. Get up here," she ordered, rising to her knees. "Two bodies and all the blankets together will keep us a lot warmer, especially since I _know_ you warm this," she patted the bed, " for me but only _pretend_ to do it for yourself!"_

"_It's a little...improper, don't you think?" had been his lame response, even though every nerve in his body was urging him to do exactly as she asked._

_Katara rolled her eyes. "Right, improper. Like the two of us being locked up together for, what six weeks now, hasn't been 'improper' enough. I promise not to attack you, happy?"_

No,_ had been his immediate thought as he reluctantly bundled up his share of the blankets and moved toward the rough stone bed. Katara busied herself with arranging them, some beneath, their blanket-robes wrapped around each of them, and the rest on top. Then she had Zuko lay down by the wall, and wriggled her way next to him. There was some shifting and giggling on her part, exasperated grunting on his part, before they finally got comfortable. But, he was forced to admit once they were settled, it was definitely more comfortable; Katara was right, he'd been stinting on the heat for himself to conserve energy. Trust her to notice._

_They'd talked a little before sleeping, each of them eager to keep it casual, but he feared she could feel the thunderous beating of his heart from her position, spooned in front of him. He wasn't sure what to do with his arm, the one that wasn't underneath his head as a make-shift pillow, and finally laid it over her with an apologetic murmur._

_Another giggle from Katara, and she patted his hand reassuringly. "More warmth for me," she sang. It was the last thing she said before falling asleep._

_Zuko had lain awake much longer, listening to her breathe, aware of her body even through the layers of blankets. He slapped his hand over his eyes and groaned. How could this be happening, how could he be having these...thoughts? About Katara? The Avatar's girlfriend. That thought stopped him cold. She was with Aang, he was with Mai, everyone had been happy until Azula stepped in. It all had to do with proximity, Zuko finally decided. They were stuck together, Katara was beautiful and fun to be with, even under these extreme circumstances, and, and..._

_Katara shivered a little, and Zuko gingerly placed his hand back on her waist. She sighed happily in her sleep and Zuko continued to lie awake and ponder for hours before sleep finally claimed him. _

He woke up still pondering. Katara felt more than comfortable against him; she felt...right.

She turned, mumbling something before coming fully awake. She blinked, momentarily confused by how close his face was to hers, then smiled. "Good morning," she said, as always.

Zuko kissed her. He didn't plan it, he didn't intend to do it, but somehow that was what he did. And she was--what was she doing? Not pushing him away, not yelling indignantly for him to stop. No, she was kissing him back, one hand sliding behind his neck, delicate fingers caressing his hair.

Zuko pulled her closer, then froze at the tell-tale sound of stone grinding on stone. Scrambling to his feet, standing defensively over Katara as she fought to untangle herself from the blankets he'd already thrown off, he glared around, trying to spot the direction his sister was coming from soon enough to do something about it.

"Faster, you idiot! They'll be here soon!"

Zuko and Katara locked eyes at the sound of his sister's muffled voice. It was coming from directly opposite the bed, and Zuko jumped down and raced toward the crack, shooting fire as he crossed the room, even before the opening was wide enough to admit anything more than air.

Something made contact; there was a startled yelp, and the crack abruptly closed. The two prisoners strained their eyes and ears to catch the next opening, but it came too quickly for them to react, a sudden gaping chasm in the wall over the bed that revealed only a sheet of blue flame. Katara stumbled back at the intensity of the heat, but Zuko took a running leap and jumped straight through the fire, ignoring the pain, intent on ending this once and for all.

The flames abruptly disappeared, and Katara wasted no time in rushing out of the prison. Ukoza stood to one side, watching as Zuko and Azula grappled for the upper hand, a forgotten bucket of water by his feet. Flames shot in every direction, and Azula was shrieking with anger. The crazed look had returned to her eyes, and she kept screaming "No! This isn't how I planned it!" over and over again.

Katara ducked behind a rock outcropping as some of the flames roared over her head; when she peered cautiously back around, Ukoza was gone--but had left the bucket of water behind.

Ignoring a strong urge to dump it over her own head, based solely on the itchiness of her scalp, she moved her hands, weaving the water into various abstract shapes. It felt so good to finally be able to use her powers freely! She quietly savored the moment, even as she maneuvered herself closer to the two combatants, looking for an opening to jump in and help Zuko subdue his sister.

At a sudden noise from behind her, she whirled and almost impaled her brother and Mai with the ice daggers she'd automatically formed, allowing them to splash harmlessly to the ground only at the last second.

Zuko saw this out of the corner of his eye, but couldn't take even a second to rejoice at the arrival of help. He had to save every ounce of concentration for his sister, who was screeching at the top of her lungs and hurling fireball after fireball at his head. Lightning crackled around her, shooting off in random directions, and Zuko finally managed to bring the fight away from Katara and the others. Azula was his responsibility, his problem, and this time it was up to him to take care of her.

There was a momentary pause when Aang appeared, floating above the cliff face and shouting for Azula to give up. She shot lightning at him, then turned back to her brother.

"Azula, he's right, you have to stop this!" he cried out, trying to reason one last time with his sister. The girl he had grown up with, the one he used to tease and pull around in a toy wagon his uncle made for them. "You can't win, it's too late!"

"It's never too late," she snarled, and threw herself physically at him, hands reaching for his throat, flames flickering around her fingers and more lightning building up as she approached. In desperation Zuko shot his own lightning bolt at her, expecting her to deflect it, but also expecting her to pause long enough for him to get out the way and allow Aang to help bring her down.

**ooooooooooo**

"She didn't redirect the lightning," Zuko concluded quietly as he gazed out the window. "All I could think as I watched her burning was that it was another trick, that she was about to unleash all that energy back at me, or at Aang or one of the others...but she didn't. She just...burned. Katara tried to help, but she was too injured to heal." He bowed his head. "We buried her there. Aang opened up our prison, we laid her body on the bed, then he sealed up the window and the opening he'd made, and we left."

Aang had also carved Azula's name and dates of birth and death at head height, along with the Fire Nation symbol. A simple memorial for a complicated person. "I'll take you there sometime, if you like."

Ursa nodded. "I would like to see where my daughter has been laid to rest. I think I'm ready to face that now." She laid her hand on Zuko's. "Thank you for telling me. I know it was difficult for you, and I understand that she would never have surrendered. From what you told me, from what everyone has told me, I think she would rather have died than be under your control." She sighed. "If only I'd been stronger, if only I'd stood up to your father sooner, all this might have been avoided."

"This wasn't your fault," Zuko said, shocked, staring at his mother. "How can you even think that?" It had never occurred to him that she might feel that way.

"If I promise not to carry a burden of guilt, will you do the same?" Ursa asked quietly, holding his gaze with her own. She offered a slight smile in response to his uncertainty. "It's difficult to let it go, but we both have to or we'll suffer with it the rest of our lives."

"I wish it was the only thing I had to be guilty about," Zuko mumbled, blushing in belated embarrassment at telling his mother about kissing Katara.

Behind the curtain, Mai was unsure if she should burst into the room and berate Zuko for kissing another woman, or merely be relieved that a kiss was as far as it went. Before she could make up her mind, Ursa spoke again.

"We all have moments of weakness, my son, times when we act on impulses we normally control. We're only human; temptation comes in so many forms, it's a wonder we don't succumb every time fate places one in our path," she offered, sounding for a moment like Uncle.

"I wish it was that easy," Zuko said, standing up and leaning on the window ledge, suddenly too restless to sit still. He gazed down at the courtyard. "Don't you wonder why I really put off the wedding?"

"Everyone has doubts before their marriage, and the circumstances--"

"The circumstances have changed!" Zuko barked, then lowered his head, ashamed of his outburst. "Forgive me, Mother," he said in a quieter voice. "It's not your fault. It's mine. I haven't wanted to admit how I feel to anyone, least of all myself."

His mother's voice was full of quiet sympathy as she anticipated his next confession. "It wasn't simply a moment of temptation. You're in love with Katara."

"I am." Zuko started to add something, then went still, listening. What was that noise? He stood up, looking around the room, but no one was there. He prodded the curtains that separated this chamber from where he slept, but no one was there and the door was closed, just as it had been when he first entered. He frowned, then settled back down to sit next to his mother once again. "But you and I are the only people who will ever know."

"Zuko, this is torturing you," Ursa protested. "More than being forced to kill Azula, I can tell. Wouldn't it be better to just tell her how you feel?"

Zuko laughed humorlessly. "Right. Tell her how I feel. Tell the beloved of the Avatar, my closest friend, that I'm in love with her. Tell Mai, who confronted Azula and went to prison just because she loved me, that I'm in love with another woman. A woman who probably doesn't feel the same way about me."

"She kissed you back," his mother reminded him. "Or were you just saying that because you wanted it to be true?"

"No, she kissed me back," Zuko agreed, running his hands through his hair in agitation. "But just because it meant something more to me doesn't mean she felt the same way, that it wasn't just a moment of weakness on her part."

"Have you talked to her about it since then?"

"No." Nor would he, his mother thought sadly, judging by the finality in his voice.

She stood up with quiet dignity. "Zuko, everything you've told me will be kept in confidence, I give my word." He started to protest, but she raised a hand to silence him. "I know, you don't need such a promise from your mother. But I need to give it." She smiled, touching him gently on the unscarred side of his face. "We're still getting to know each other once again, and sometimes I have to remind myself that you're not my little Zuzu any more." She bowed.

Zuko bowed back, then pulled her close for a heart-felt hug. She returned it in full measure, then turned and headed for the door. She paused before opening it. "Thank you, my son, for telling me the truth about Azula's death, and about your feelings for Katara. I only hope that your decision turns out to be the right one. For all of you."

Then she was gone, leaving Zuko alone with his thoughts.


	7. Knocking On Doors

**oOo**

Mai walked quickly down the corridors of the palace residential section, not quite breaking into a trot although her body longed to be racing away from Zuko's private quarters at top speed. How _could_ he, how could he do this to _her_, to _them_? Although she showed her usual impassive face to the few people she passed, she was screaming inside. _It was only a kiss, _she tried to tell herself. _He'll get over it eventually. He still wants to marry you_. Hollow words, pathetic in their desire to paint things in a light that showed them still having a future together.

A bitter smile crossed her lips. A future together. Hah! She was no foolish child, no innocent in the ways of court life. Political marriages happened all the time, and her marriage to Zuko was considered by many to fall into that category. How ironic that everyone who believed so turned out to be right after all. Zuko may have proposed to her out of love, but he was only with her now out of some stupid sense of obligation. She turned a corner, nearly colliding with a serving girl, who bowed and stuttered an apology that Mai barely heard as she impatiently brushed past her.

Still fuming, not really aware of where she was going, Mai passed down two more halls, taking left and right turns seemingly at random until she suddenly found herself stopping in front of a door. _His_ door. She placed a hand on it, fingertips barely brushing wood, then abruptly formed a fist and knocked. Hard.

"Come in!" his voice sang out, and she pushed the door open. _You don't have to do this,_ her conscience whispered. _Yes I do, _she told it fiercely. _Yes I do._ She entered the room, banging the door shut behind her as hard as she could, the only vent for her turbulent emotions she would allow. For now.

Aang, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor poring over an ancient Air-Bending manuscript, jumped to his feet, startled at the sound of his door crashing shut. He studied Mai cautiously, wondering what was wrong as he automatically re-rolled the delicate scroll and tucked it into his belt. "Mai? Is everything OK?" Then, as he more narrowly observed her face: "Did something happen?"

Mai walked directly up to him. They could look eye-to-eye now, he'd grown so much during the past two years. Sometimes she forgot how much younger than her he was. Younger than her, and younger than Katara, the woman he'd steadfastly loved for the past three years… "Yes, something happened," she snarled. "Six months ago."

Aang's brow knitted in confusion. "Why don't you have some tea?" He took Mai's arm and led her gently to the low table by the window, waiting as she fidgeted a moment before flopping onto the nearest cushion. She opened her mouth to spew out the whole story, only to be shushed by Aang as he concentrated on pouring out the tea. Only after she'd taken a few sips did he look at her attentively. "Okay, what happened six months ago that's got you so upset now?"

_He's matured,_ was Mai's first, startled thought. When she first met him, the Avatar would have badgered her until she told him everything. Now, he'd given her a chance to calm down, to proceed rationally. "Zuko and Katara kissed," she blurted out. So much for rationality.

"I know, Katara told me about it," was Aang's startling reply. He gazed sympathetically at Mai. "I'm sorry Zuko waited till now to tell you, but they were trapped, and it was just a kiss--"

"You don't understand," Mai interrupted. "Zuko didn't tell _me_, he told his _mother_. I just happened to hear it. And it wasn't just a kiss," she added angrily. "Not for him, anyway. He's in love with her, he's been in love with her all this time, at least since Azula took them captive. And I'm willing to bet Katara knows it." She gazed down at her clenched fists, suddenly noticing the betrothal ring on her left hand. With a grunt of pain she wrenched it off and threw it down onto the table, watching as it bounced and spun and finally rolled to a stop against Aang's teapot.

The sudden silence was deafening. Aang rose to his feet, bowed formally to Mai, then walked toward the door. "Where are you going?" she demanded, not moving from her seat, not trusting her legs to hold her upright, fighting the tears that had knotted themselves into her chest and throat on their way to her eyes.

"To talk to Katara," Aang replied as he opened the door. "I'll be back a little later. So we can talk more." The door closed softly behind him, and the tears finally finished their journey as Mai laid her head on the table and wept.

**oOo**

Katara opened the door to her chambers, not sure who to expect, but knowing by the repeated knocking that it had to be important. Aang was there, and she smiled even though she was confused. His sense of propriety was such that, even though they had slept side-by-side in the wilderness together for a year, now that they were back in civilization he was so uncomfortable at the thought of visiting her in her sleeping quarters that he had never laid eyes on them. Until now. "Aang? Is everything OK?"

He managed a grin at her repetition of his question to Mai. "I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I think I need to talk to you about something."

"You think?" Katara arched an eyebrow inquisitively, then shrugged. "Where? The garden?" It was one of his favorite places, grown even more green and lush now that a Water Bender was in semi-permanent residence during this time of post-war reconstruction and reconciliation.

Aang shook his head. "No, right here should be fine." He paused, looking curiously over her shoulder. "Nice room, I like the colors." The spacious, airy chamber was decorated in cool shades of blue and white, both her personal favorites and the colors most associated with her element.

Blinking with surprise, Katara stepped back, wordlessly allowing him entrance. He prowled around the edges of the room, examining the draperies, the ornately carved shutters that held back the oppressive mid-day heat, the oblong-shaped bed, the wardrobe where her clothes hung, the low table and cushions almost identical to his own under the window, the few rugs that decorated the cool, tiled floor. Even the mosaics laid into that surface were in various shades of blue, rather than the usual Fire Nation reds and oranges; Zuko must have ordered it for her specially. Aang's own chambers were more generically decorated, and his heart sank as he examined this further proof of Mai's assertion. Even the shutters, he realized, were carved with fanciful versions of penguins and various forms of South Polar sea-life. Probably not something Zuko just happened to have laying around.

Katara watched, eyes wide with curiosity, as he circled her room. She saw him stop and gaze down at the floors then over at her shutters, bewildered by the sudden flash of sadness she saw cross his features before he looked back at her. "Really, Aang, you're scaring me. What's wrong? What happened?"

"Mai's in my room. I think she's crying. She was really upset, and I could tell she needed to be alone for a little while. So I came here."

Katara's bewilderment only grew. "Are we talking about the same Mai? The one who hardly ever cracks a smile…or a frown? Why is she so upset, and why did she go to you about it?" A suspicion was dawning, but it was one she was trying very hard not to allow to come to full bloom in her mind. Better to hear what Aang had to say before jumping–leaping joyfully, more like–to conclusions.

Instead of answering any of Katara's questions, Aang offered one of his own. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do," Katara replied, shocked. She rushed to his side, taking his hand in hers. "How could you even doubt it? _What did Mai say?_"

"She just found out about the kiss. You know, the one you told me about that meant nothing to either you or Zuko." She couldn't tell by either his tone of voice or his expressionless face what he was feeling. "Only she found out it _did_ mean something, at least to Zuko. That's why I asked. Oh, I know you love me," he added, patting her hand gently before disentangling his fingers from hers, allowing his arms to hang by his sides. "But you love Sokka and Suki and Toph, too. You love Iroh and your father. I guess what I should have asked was whether you were _in_ love with me."

Katara turned her head to the side. "In love with, love, what difference does it make? I love you, we're together, we've had two wonderful years, just because Mai found out about the kiss doesn't change anything!"

"Yes it does!" Aang burst out, all that control and maturity going by the wayside, his still-deepening voice cracking in a way it hadn't in months. "Weren't you listening to me? The kiss meant something to Zuko! I just want to know if it meant anything to you! I deserve to know the truth!"

A heavy silence hung over them. Katara was utterly at a loss for words. "I know it meant something to Zuko," she finally said, crossing her arms, clutching her elbows defensively. "But I thought, I hoped, it was just because of what we shared together during captivity. We didn't talk about it after; I know I just wanted things to get back to normal. Back the way they used to be, before..." Her voice trailed off in confusion. "I know, I'm not answering your question." She became defensive. "But it's not fair to take it out on me just because of what Mai told you!"

"Mai said Zuko's in love with you." That took all the wind out of Katara's sails. Her cheeks flashed red, then white, then red again. Aang felt an overwhelming sadness as he witnessed her reaction. "Not was, but _is._ He never told you?"

Katara shook her head, once again speechless. But her eyes spoke volumes.

"So he was going to be all noble and self-sacrificing because of Mai and probably because of me," Aang continued when it was obvious she couldn't bring herself to say anything. He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking like the awkward, uncertain youngster Katara had freed from the ice three years ago instead of the sturdy young man he'd grown into. "I just need to know the truth, Katara. Are you doing the same thing?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" Katara whispered. "It's Zuko and Mai's problem, why do you have to make it ours?"

"Just answer the question. Please. Are you being noble and self-sacrificing because you don't want to hurt me?"

"We've been happy together. Even if we aren't formally betrothed, everyone knows we have an understanding. Even Zuko knows it, why do you think he never said anything, especially to me? If what Mai says is true," Katara added in a rush, "it's something Zuko's chosen to keep private–wait, how did she find out? Did he tell her himself?"

Aang shook his head. "She overheard him telling his mother."

"Then he obviously never meant for anyone else to know, or he would have said something sooner," Katara said, feeling conflicted relief at the thought. "So like I said, it's their problem, not ours. We should just put it behind us and go on with our lives like we have been." She winced inwardly at the desperation in her voice, knowing even as she spoke the words that it was too late for that.

"Katara! Are you doing the same thing?" Aang almost shouted, tears of frustration stinging the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away angrily. "Why won't you answer me?"

"Because I don't know what to say!" Katara shouted back. "There! Are you satisfied? Even if I do have feelings for Zuko, even if he has feelings for me, we haven't done anything about it and probably never would if Mai had just minded her own business and kept her stupid mouth shut!" Eyes widened in consternation, her hands flew to cover her own mouth, but it was too late.

"So." Aang looked at her sadly. "I guess that's a yes."

"Aang, I'm sorry," Katara whispered, dropping her head to her hands, then straightening up and looking directly at him. "Please don't hate me."

A wistful smile crossed Aang's features. "I could never hate you, Katara," he replied softly, tracing a fingertip across her jawline. "I'll always be there for you, you know that. But I don't want to be with you because you feel obligated. If whatever you and Zuko are feeling for each other is real, I won't stand in your way. I know we said 'forever' but I won't keep you to it." A pained expression crossed his face. "But I'm not so noble and self-sacrificing that I can stay and watch while you work things out. It's time for me to take another tour of the Earth Kingdom, maybe even check in on some of our other friends. I'll be back in a month, maybe a little longer than that." He attempted a smile "Try not to get kidnapped by any crazy Fire Benders this time, will you?"

"I'll try," Katara replied, head bowed. She felt his lips pressed against her forehead, then listened to his soft footsteps as he crossed the room. Only when she heard the door shut did she look up again.

_What just happened?_ She stood in the middle of her room, lost in thought. _Everything was fine, why did Mai have to go and mess things up?_

_But she didn't,_ a small voice inside her head chided her. _You did, by falling in love with the Fire Lord and not being honest about it with anyone, yourself included. Things like that don't just go away, now do they?_

_No,_ she answered herself silently before walking over to her bed and collapsing onto it in exhaustion. "No," she repeated aloud, staring up at the ceiling. "I guess they don't just go away. The only thing that goes away if you ignore it is your teeth." That was one of Uncle's favorite sayings.

She winced. When had she started referring to Zuko's uncle as if he were her own relative? Why did she feel so comfortable with the Lady Ursa? Why did she spend so much time in the Fire Nation, even when Aang was away on good-will visits, trying to shore up the tentative peace with his presence? Because she was in love with Zuko. And now the two people she most wanted to keep that from knew it.

Katara groaned. Aang was leaving, Mai probably hated her, Zuko might or might not know that his conversation with his mother had been overheard...what a mess. "What do I do now?" she asked, knowing the answer even as she voiced the question aloud.

The only thing she could do. If Mai was wrong, if she'd misunderstood something, then all of this could be for nothing.

And if Mai was right?

The answer to that question was almost as troubling. And there was only one way to find out.

She had to talk to Zuko.


	8. Woman Trouble

**oOo**

Zuko strode into his room, head high, as befitted the Fire Lord. As soon as the door shut behind him, however, his shoulders slumped and he ran agitated fingers through his hair. Aang had sent a messenger to him announcing an imminent trip that would take a month or longer, but had attached no personal message as he usually did. When Zuko sought him out, he always seemed to have just left the room, until Zuko gave up in frustration. Mai was nowhere to be seen either, his mother had retired to her rooms to rest, and Katara was "out." With no Uncle, Sokka, Toph, Suki or even, gods help him, Ti Lee about, he felt as if he'd been abandoned by his closest friends just when he most needed someone to talk to.

"What a great ending to a great day," he said sourly as he removed his formal robes. As he started to toss them across the foot of his bed, the movement was arrested by the glint of gold in the middle of the red coverlet. Dropping the robes unceremoniously to the floor, he stepped forward cautiously, all senses on the alert. When he recognized the ancestral betrothal ring, his first reaction was to take it as a sign that Mai had been kidnapped. He clenched it in his fist, turning to hurry for the door when an unexpected voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't bother, I'm right here." It was Mai, sitting in the shadows by the far side of the room.

Zuko crossed to her side, a worried frown creasing his forehead. "Why did you take it off?"

Mai regarded him stoically. She was wearing traveling clothes, he noticed, with her ever-present knives strapped conspicuously one to a hip and her hair pulled back in a severe bun. "Because it belongs to the Fire Lord's family, not just to the woman he offers it to. So I figured you might want it back."

Zuko blinked, then slowly sat in the chair opposite hers. The room's designers called the sitting area in front of the window a "conversation corner", and he suspected he wanted to be sitting for this particular conversation. "You're breaking the betrothal? Why?"

Without changing expression, her voice the same low monotone he'd become used to, she replied: "Because there's someone else you'd rather give that ring to. And I don't stay where I'm not wanted."

Zuko started to protest, but paused when he saw the look in her eyes. _She knows._ Nevertheless, he plowed on. "What makes you think you're not wanted? I never said I wanted to end the betrothal."

"But you haven't exactly been clamoring for our wedding day, either," Mai pointed out, sounding bored. But the boredom was forced, he could see it in her eyes, how much it was costing her to remain calm. "I know you promised never to break up with me again, but this is pushing it a little far, don't you think? When you're in love with someone else?"

Her words hung in the air between them for an eternal moment. Zuko's stance, combative until that point, became defensive; his shoulders hunched, and he ducked his head to one side. "Who told you that?" he finally asked.

"Are you going to deny it?" Mai countered.

"How did you find out?" he demanded, anger taking the upper hand. His mother would never have said anything, certainly not to Mai, and they'd been alone in the room when they spoke. Or had they? Someone must have been spying on them, that noise he thought he'd heard near the end of the conversation...

"I found out by listening to a conversation I had no business listening to, of course." Mai shrugged. "That's what you get when you eavesdrop; you hear things you might rather not." Hurt shone in her eyes as she asked the next question: "Would you really have married me when you were in love with _her_?"

Finally a crack in the tightly controlled facade. There was venom in that last question, pure and simple. Zuko knew he had to tread carefully; just because Mai's feelings were usually hard to read didn't mean she didn't have them. He knew from personal experience just how passionate she could be.

"Mai, when I asked you to become my wife I meant it, and I still want to marry you." Never mind his own anger at his private conversation being eavesdropped on; to bring that up right now would just sound petty and evasive. He held up the ring. "Please, put this back on. I promise I'll love you and honor you, if you'll still have me."

"But not the way you love her." Zuko merely bowed his head at the accusation, and a bitter laugh escaped Mai's lips. "That's what I thought. No, I'm nobody's _obligation_, Zuko, nobody's _duty_. If you're in love with her, I won't be your excuse not to go after her." She rose to her feet.

"Where are you going?"

"On a tour of the Earth Kingdom. With Aang." At Zuko's raised eyebrow, she added: "No, I'm not trading you in for him. I just need to get away, and he happens to be leaving when I need a ride out of here."

Before Zuko could say anything, a knock came at the door, tentative, barely heard, but still a knock. He was going to ignore it, but Mai strode to the door, yanking it open.

Katara stood there, looking startled, and Mai's lip curled. "Of course." She turned back to Zuko. "Your _friend_ is here. Shall I let her in?"

Katara backed up a step. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I'll come back another time."

"No time like the present," Mai responded, pulling the door fully open. Zuko was on his feet, moving toward the two women, alarm in his eyes. Mai gave a sardonic half-grin. "Don't worry, Fire Lord, I'm not going to attack her, although I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind. But then I also thought about hiring a disgruntled Fire Bender to burn the palace down around your ears and decided to give that a pass as well." She turned back to Katara. "Don't let me stand in your way." With that, she swept out of the room, ignoring Zuko's demands that she wait.


	9. Alone Time

Katara watched as Mai strode past her. "This is a bad time." _Wow, Katara, nothing like stating the obvious._

Zuko let out a short bark of laughter. "Yeah, you could say that. Mai just broke up with me." He realized he was still holding the betrothal ring in his clenched fist, and eased his hand open to show it to Katara.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

Zuko waved away her sympathy. "You didn't come here to talk to me about this. So come in and tell me what you _did_ want to talk to me about."

Katara shook her head, taking another step backward. "No. This really isn't the right time."

"Mai said she's leaving with Aang. I guess that means you're not going with him on this trip."

That froze her in her tracks. She stared at him, wide-eyed, then finally moved forward, stepping tentatively across the threshold and allowing him to close the door behind her. He led her to the small sitting area he and Mai had just abandoned, absently lighting lanterns to dispel the late-evening gloom. His window was open, allowing a last glimpse of the setting sun as they each silently took a seat.

"Aang broke up with me, too," Katara finally said. She sounded lost. "I guess Mai went to him, and he came to me." She looked over at Zuko, but he was staring out the window. "I told Aang about–about the...kiss. I told him right after the rescue," she continued after a few seconds. "He asked why, and I said it was because we were trapped, because we didn't know if we were going to make it out alive, and that it meant nothing to either of us. He was upset, but he understood, and it just seemed to make us stronger, at least at first." She sighed. "Then I found myself…wondering. Wondering if I was just fooling myself, if it did mean something more. But you never said anything to me about it, so I decided I was just being stupid, trying to force meaning onto something meaningless."

"Well, now you know better." Zuko sounded bitter, defeated. "All I wanted to do was confide in someone I could trust, someone it wouldn't hurt to tell the truth to. But no, Mai had to listen in, then go running to Aang." He paused as something occurred to him, staring at Katara for the first time since sitting down. "Wait, you said Aang broke up with you? Because of me?"

Katara shook her head, meeting his gaze head on. "No. He broke up with me because I wasn't honest with him. Or myself. Or you, for that matter. The kiss _did_ mean something to me, only I didn't want to admit it. It still does," she added softly, then turned away, a delicate blush staining her tanned cheeks.

Zuko could hardly believe his ears. "Wait, are you saying--what _are_ you saying?" he demanded, sternly pushing down the hope that was forcing itself into his chest, raising his heart beat, shortening his breath.

Katara gave an exasperated sigh. "Zuko, I know you're not _that_ dense." She reached for his hand, twining her fingers through his. "I'm saying I'm in love with you, that I've been in love with you only I didn't want to admit it because it meant too many other people would be hurt. And I didn't know how you felt, and I was too afraid to be the first one to say anything. But now I have, and I'm still babbling, and don't you have anything to say to me? Anything at all?"

Zuko's only response was to lean forward and kiss her. Tugging gently on her hand, he pulled her closer, snuggling her securely on his lap as the kiss deepened, awed and delighted by her immediate response, the way she twined her free hand around his neck and felt so deliciously _right_ in his arms.

After a few wonderful moments, Zuko and Katara pulled back, smiling shyly at each other. "So what happens now?" Katara asked.

"I know this is the classic 'wrong time' but I don't want to wait," Zuko replied. Katara knit her brow in confusion, but gestured for him to continue. "Everyone who was going to be hurt by this already has been." He took a deep breath. "This is sudden, I get that, but I'm still going to ask." Zuko held up the betrothal ring. "I want to give this to you, Katara," he said softly. "I want you to be my wife. I know it won't be easy, even with the peace; there will be plenty of people who won't like the idea of me being married to a 'Water Tribe peasant'." He smiled to take any sting out of Azula's favorite insult. "But I think we can work it out; in fact, I know we can. Please say yes."

He held his breath while Katara considered the ring. She lifted her hand, but before he could slip it onto her finger, she stopped him, holding her hand out instead. He dropped the ring into her palm and she looked at it. It was a family heirloom, not something made specially for Mai, but she still wasn't sure she was ready to wear it. Not just yet. She placed it back in Zuko's hand and folded his fingers around it.

"I'm not saying no, Zuko," she said quietly. "I just don't think I'm ready to say yes. We just broke up with people we've been with for two years. Maybe we should take some time to make sure this is what we really want." It almost killed her to say those words, and she hoped he wouldn't be angry, but they'd spent so much time in denial, trying to maintain their existing relationships, that she really felt they needed to take it slowly. From a declaration of love to a proposal of marriage, all in the same evening, seemed too hasty to her.

"I am sure," Zuko replied. He cupped her chin in his hand. "But if you're not, I understand. I'm willing to wait as long as you need me to." A crooked smile graced his features. "I told you once that patience wasn't one of my strong suits, but for you I'm willing to give it a try." He leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

Katara felt herself melting; almost, almost she demanded the ring back, but refrained. Waiting might be hard, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

**BONUS FEATURE:**

_I know, I know, too short. But I wanted to think about how the next scene is going to go. As a present to everyone, here's how the scene you've just read (and, incidentally, the story) was originally going to end. I figured I'd let everyone read this if they wanted. Not to worry, the story as written above still has at least a chapter or two to go. Thanks for all the kind words, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story as well as this bonus "alternate ending" feature!_

"I know this is the classic 'wrong time' but I don't want to wait," Zuko replied. Katara knit her brow in confusion, but gestured for him to continue. "Everyone who was going to be hurt by this already has been." He took a deep breath. "This is sudden, I get that, but I'm still going to ask." Zuko held up the betrothal ring. "I want to give this to you, Katara," he said softly. "I want you to be my wife. I know it won't be easy, even with the peace; there will be plenty of people who won't like the idea of me being married to a 'Water Tribe peasant'." He smiled to take any sting out of Azula's favorite insult. "But I think we can work it out; in fact, I know we can. Please say yes."

Katara didn't hesitate, holding out her hand for him to slip the ring on her finger. Never mind that it had so recently graced Mai's hand; it was a family heirloom, not something made specially for the other woman. As of now it was a symbol of Zuko's feelings for her, and she would wear it proudly. "People are going to gossip," she warned, giving him a sober look even as her fingers toyed with the ends of his hair. "It's going to look awfully sudden." A quick grin flashed across her features. "I can't even imagine what Sokka's going to say!"

"I hope he'll say welcome to the family," Zuko replied. "As for the gossips, let 'em talk. If it wasn't this, it would be something else."

A sad expression replaced the impish grin on Katara's face as she contemplated the repercussions of this day. "I'm just sorry Mai and Aang had to be hurt for us to be together. Will that ruin things for us? Aang said he'd always be there for me, but Mai wasn't very happy." She knew it was an understatement even as she said it, but she still had trouble attributing strong emotions to the taciturn young woman who'd once been Azula's sidekick.

"We won't let it ruin things," Zuko said firmly. He stood up, sliding Katara gently to the floor, but keeping hold of her hand. "I'll send an airship to the Water Tribes to bring your father and Sokka and Suki here for the wedding."

"I want everyone here; Toph, Uncle Iroh, even Ti Lee and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors." Katara laughed, unable to contain her joy. "I want it to be as wonderful as it can be."

"I just hope Aang can find it in his heart to forgive me some day," Zuko frowned. "The only regret I'd have is if I lost the friendship of the Avatar because I couldn't control my emotions."

"No one can tell who their heart will fall in love with," Katara replied, snuggling her head against his shoulder. "Aang knows that, and he's too good a person to let this come between you two." _At least, I _hope_ he is_, she amended silently.

"All right, then let's go make the announcement," Zuko said quietly. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Together."

"Together," Katara echoed, pushing her sudden misgivings firmly aside. Aang was hurt, Mai was hurt, but there was nothing she could do about it. What she'd told Zuko was true; no one could tell who their heart would fall in love with, and to fight it and pretend things were otherwise was dishonest, and just as hurtful as telling the truth. Holding her head high, she walked hand-in-hand with Zuko out of the room and towards their future.


	10. Visitors

**Part 2: Family Matters**

"Surprise!"

Katara nearly jumped out of her skin as that word was yelled into her ear.

"Sokka!" she squealed, throwing herself happily into her brother's arms, forgetting her desire to throttle the screamer in the joy of seeing him so unexpectedly. He hugged her tightly, spinning her around until she laughingly warned him she was about to throw up. He dropped her to her feet then just stood there, grinning foolishly at her.

"Wow, what are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you for a couple of months!" For Mai and Zuko's cancelled wedding, as a matter of fact; that thought sobered her. It had only been three weeks since Zuko's impetuous proposal, and she was still dealing with the snarl of emotion her change in relationship with the Fire Lord had caused. A change in relationship she hadn't told her family about, and now here they were, sooner than she'd expected to have to deal with them.

Sokka was apparently bursting with news; he was grinning from ear to ear and didn't seem to notice the fading of her smile as Katara tried to figure out the best way to tell him everything that had happened in the past few weeks. "Suki and I decided to travel up now because, well," he ducked his head and looked at his sister bashfully. "We won't be able to in a couple of months because we're having a baby!"

"Oh, Sokka, that's wonderful!" Katara exclaimed, tabling her own news for the moment. She hugged her brother again. "So you and Suki are staying here to have the baby?"

"Yup, we're staying for a nice, long visit. Suki's getting our stuff settled into our house." At the war's end Zuko had assigned private rooms to all of the "Aang Gang", but Sokka and Suki, as a newly married couple, had been given a private house of their own on the palace grounds near the gardens, a lovely cottage with ample space for a baby, now that Katara thought about it.

"What about Father, is he still coming?" Katara asked anxiously. Her father was going to be even harder to explain this to than Sokka.

"Yeah, but not for a few months, just like we originally planned. Too much stuff going on at home politics wise for him to leave right away." Sokka's grin faded. "Stuff I should be helping him with, but he insisted that we concentrate on the baby and the wedding and just visiting with you, since we don't see you as much these days."

The last time Sokka had seen her was to rescue her from Azula and the few weeks afterward he stayed to visit, Katara realized with a guilty start. "I know I was supposed to come home for a while, but there's just so much to do here, and Aang and I were doing a lot of traveling..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she'd opened a subject she wasn't quite ready to discuss.

"Hey, yeah, where is the little guy?" Sokka still persisted in calling Aang things like that, even though they were almost the same height now. Katara blamed Toph; she was the one who started the nicknaming, and Sokka had happily taken it up as well.

"Actually, he's visiting the Earth Kingdom right now," Katara replied. "Shouldn't we be helping Suki? In her condition, she really should be resting and not unpacking."

Sokka shot a guilty look in the direction of their unseen house. "Yeah, you're right. But she did promise not to lift anything too heavy and the servants are helping her--" He broke off to chuckle at that. "Imagine, us with servants! But you must be used to it by now."

"Not really," Katara admitted, threading her arm through his and walking him firmly toward his house. "I think they've given up on me. There's this one maid who comes every day to clean my room and make up my bed, only of course I've already done it all, so she just comes in, looks around, sighs, and walks back out again. But she keeps coming back." Keeping to light chatter, steering clear of questions about Aang and Zuko, Katara managed to keep her brother distracted until they reached the pleasant cottage the new Fire Lord had gifted them with.

"Suki! I found her!" Sokka yelled as he threw open the front door.

Katara followed him in, rushing up to her sister-in-law and giving her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before stepping back to look her up and down. "Suki! You look wonderful!"

Suki looked down at herself. She was wearing an old tunic, had dust smudges on her face, her hair tied up in a kerchief with dark strands straggling out here and there, and a definite bulge in her middle. She looked back at Katara doubtfully, then they both burst into laughter. "Well, I don't know about me, but something about the Fire Nation must agree with you, Katara; you're practically glowing! It can't just be because of us!"

"You two being here and a baby on the way is more than enough reason for me to glow," Katara deflected the implied question hastily. "Shouldn't you be taking it easy?" She led the other woman over to a chair and sat her in it. "You don't have to do everything yourself!" She gave both her relatives a mock exasperated glare.

"I'm all for not doing everything myself," Sokka had the cheek to reply. He leaned forward and planted a noisy kiss on his sister's cheek before plopping onto the divan next to his wife and giving her an equally noisy kiss. "You hear that, little man?" he said to her belly, eliciting giggles from both women. "We're supposed to be taking it easy. Let the servants do their jobs, right, Katara?" he added with a sly grin.

She had the grace to blush. "Well, in this case, yes. Will you come to the main building and eat with us tonight, or do you need some alone time?"

She secretly hoped Suki would be too tired to even think about leaving the house, if only to give herself more time to figure out how to tell them about the change in romantic circumstances, but by the way Suki's face lit up, she was doomed to disappointment. "Dinner in the palace? Great, less work for me! Besides, they'll be sure to have enough to cover Sokka's appetite."

"Hey, I'm eating for two now," he protested, then blinked in confusion at the identical glares his sister and wife aimed at him. "What?"

"Never mind," Suki sighed with an affectionate squeeze of his arm. "So, Katara, what have you been up to lately? Fill us in on all the gossip!"

"Uh, why don't we save that for later, when we all have more time?" she said hastily. "I'm supposed to be, uh, in the gardens right now, that's where I was on my way to when Sokka ambushed me. Plus you probably should rest up for a couple of hours, maybe take a nice bath in the hot springs."

"Hot springs? On a day like today? I'd melt!" Suki protested.

"Oh, right, I forgot." Katara blushed. "But I really do have to run, I'll see you both at dinner, bye!"

Sokka and Suki traded startled glances as she practically raced out of the room. "What was that all about?" Sokka demanded.

Suki shrugged. "She's your sister, but I'm betting something's happened that she doesn't want to tell us about, at least not yet. I guess we'll just have to find out at dinner."

"Or ask someone else," Sokka said grimly, all trace of amusement gone. "At least we know Azula's dead, so it can't be about her." He shuddered. "At least, I hope not," he added fervently. Azula's ghost was one haunting he wouldn't want to face. "I think I'll get you settled in for a nap and take a stroll to see our good friend, Fire Lord Zuko. If anything_ is_ going on, he's bound to know about it."

Suki started to protest, then stopped when she saw the determination on his face. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll take a nap. Right after I finish cleaning." She brandished the dust-cloth she'd been clutching the whole time. "And yes, I'll get the servants Zuko assigned us to help with the heavy stuff," she added, correctly interpreting the expression on her husband's face. "You just make sure and tell me what you find out. It could be nothing, of course," she added doubtfully.

"Yeah, right. Nothing," Sokka repeated before kissing her good-bye. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He bent down to press his lips against her stomach. "You hear me, little guy? I'll be right back!"

Suki chuckled as he strode out of the room. "I don't have the heart to tell him I think you're a girl," she said, addressing her stomach as well. She patted it absently, then yawned. "Hmm, maybe a nap wouldn't be such a bad idea," she added, flopping down onto the divan Sokka had just abandoned. "I have a feeling I'm going to need to keep my strength up." She closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep.


	11. Family Time

**oOo**

It was nearing the end of yet another long day. Zuko tried to keep the boredom from his expression as two of his ministers bickered endlessly over a border dispute between their two districts, but it was hard to maintain a façade of interest when it was something he'd heard over and over again for the past six months. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer. "I've made a decision," he announced, coming to his feet as the other two fell respectfully silent. "I've decided to merge your two districts."

He was met with identical expressions of horror. "B-but, Fire Lord Zuko, that would be a disaster for the people of my district!" the first minister cried.

"Yes, a disaster!" the second minister echoed.

Zuko adopted a puzzled frown. "A disaster? Why? Your district," he said, addressing the first minister, "would gain valuable mineral deposits. And yours," he added, looking at the second minister, "would obtain water rights. It seems to me both sides would win. Of course, if you can think of a more equitable solution, I'm willing to hear it. Once. Otherwise my decision stands."

The two ministers glanced uncertainly at each other, then each gave a tiny nod and returned their full attention to him. "We will have a formal agreement over the border in place before the next Council Meeting," the first one said.

"Before the next Council Meeting," the second one agreed, bobbing his head in an agitated manner.

"Very well then," Zuko replied, remaining on his feet. "I hereby declare this meeting over." He swept his hand in a slashing motion, waiting for the bows of the Councilors as they left the room singly and in pairs, muttering amongst themselves.

"Well done, my boy; I see you've learned a lot over the past two years."

"Uncle!" Fire Lord Zuko was gone, replaced by a young man who hadn't seen his closest male relative in far too long. Iroh was leaning against the door, an approving look on his face.

A smile lit up Zuko's face as the two of them met in the middle of the room to exchange affectionate hugs. "I wasn't expecting you!"

Iroh's smile disappeared as he stepped back to study his nephew. "When I received word that my nephew's betrothal was cancelled, I closed up the tea shop and came as fast as I could. What happened, Zuko?"

Zuko ran a hand through his hair. "It was Mai's decision, Uncle."

"And what prompted her to make such a decision? It would have to be something truly momentous," his uncle replied shrewdly.

"It's a long story, Uncle," Zuko said with a sigh.

"And one I have plenty of time to listen to," was Iroh's response. He clapped a friendly hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Why don't you come with me to my rooms and tell me all about it?"

Before Zuko could respond one way or the other, the door flew open and Katara dashed into the room. "Zuko! Sokka and Suki are here! Oh, hello, Uncle!" She skidded to an embarrassed halt, not expecting to find anyone else in the room now that the Council Meeting was over.

"Something truly momentous, indeed," Iroh murmured as he saw the identical blushes staining their cheeks. "So, you two finally came to your senses." He beamed happily at them before turning back to Zuko. "I think I can figure out the 'long story' on my own, Nephew. I wish you both great happiness."

"Wait, where are you going?" Zuko demanded as his uncle headed for the door, pausing only to drop a kiss on the crown of Katara's head.

"To my rooms. I'll join you for dinner, then you'll have to tell me when the new wedding will take place so I can decide if I'm returning to the Earth Kingdom or staying for a while." Then he was gone, leaving the other two staring at each other in bemusement.

"He makes a lot of assumptions," Zuko said weakly.

"So he thought we'd get together all along," Katara mused as she continued into the room, threading her way past the cushions and around the low table to reach Zuko's side. "I wonder what he saw that no one else did."

"Obviously something I wasted a lot of time missing," Zuko replied, pulling her into his arms for a kiss.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

At the sound of that enraged yell, Zuko pushed Katara behind him, automatically going into a defensive posture, hands raised to deal with whatever this new threat was.

Sokka was standing in the doorway, staring at them in disbelief. "Aang goes on a tour of the Earth Kingdoms, and you make a move on my sister?" With a garbled scream of anger, the young Water Tribesman ran full tilt at Zuko, knocking him off his feet. Katara ducked hastily to one side, yelling at her brother to stop, but he wasn't listening, too enraged to even hear her voice.

Zuko fought back grimly, forcing himself not to use fire on Sokka no matter how tempted he was to do so.

The two of them struggled to get the upper hand, Sokka landing punches whenever he could, Zuko hampered by his desire not to hurt his (hopefully) future brother-in-law too badly. He kicked the younger man off him once, only to be shoved back to the floor. They rolled back and forth, Sokka yelling threats, Zuko grunting every time a blow landed, until suddenly they were separated by a huge wall of water that immediately formed into ice. Zuko scrambled to his feet, backing away, panting, while Sokka rolled to his side and immediately made to jump over the barrier his sister had erected.

Katara had raced out of the room as soon as she saw that her brother wasn't to be reasoned with, heading for the cleaning room immediately adjacent to the Council Chambers. Bending the water into a huge ball, she shoved it in front of her and raced back into the room to end this ridiculous battle before someone went too far.

The sound of running feet behind her caused her to spin and kick the door shut. "I'll take care of this!" she shouted, then turned back to turn some of the ice back into water, immediately freezing it around her brother's feet. He flailed his arms for a moment, but managed to remain upright, turning his glare on his sister. "Katara! Let me go! I'm defending your honor here!"

"My honor doesn't require defending, and if you'd just let us explain instead of jumping to conclusions, none of this would have happened!" She traded him glare for glare, then walked over to Zuko, examining his face. "That'll leave a nasty bruise," she murmured ruefully as she traced gentle fingers around his unscarred eye.

"Yeah, well, I hope it hurts," Sokka snarled, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice and eyes as he tried to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. "Katara, what's going on? Why did you let him kiss you like that? How could you do this to Aang? And Mai?" he added belatedly.

Katara turned back to him, hands on hips. "We're not doing anything to Aang and Mai," she retorted, moving closer and jabbing a finger at his chest. Sokka automatically flinched back, nearly losing his balance again. Katara sighed. "If you promise not to go after Zuko again, I'll let you go."

"I promise," he muttered, giving the other man a dark glance. Katara freed him, the Bent all the water and ice into a huge ball before sending it out the window. A startled yelp from below told them someone had just been giving a drenching, but they had other things to worry about now.

"Sit down," Katara said, pointing to one of the dry cushions. Sokka did so, muttering to himself about bossy girls, then folded his arms and looked at her expectantly. She sat in the cushion next to his, pulling her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them. She regarded him silently for a moment. "Zuko and Mai aren't betrothed any more, and Aang broke up with me a few weeks ago."

"Aang? Broke up? With you?" Sokka goggled at her, at a complete loss for words. "No way!"

"It's a really long story, and I'd rather not tell it a million times," Katara sighed. "Just meet us for dinner and we'll explain it to you and Suki and Uncle Iroh all at once." She looked over at Zuko for approval.

He nodded, wincing at the pain in his jaw. A sudden pounding at the door reminded them all that his guards had been alerted by the sound of combat, and that Katara's assurances wouldn't keep them out forever. "I'm fine!" Zuko yelled. The door opened, and one guard poked his head in the room, hands at the ready in case the Fire Lord was being held hostage. Seeing no one there but Zuko and his two Water Tribe friends, he bowed in acceptance of Zuko's word, giving a puzzled shrug to the rest of the guards waiting outside before closing the door once more behind him.

"Well, all right, I guess," was Sokka's reluctant response.

Katara nudged him with one foot. "Don't you have anything else to say?" she asked, giving Zuko a pointed look.

Sokka frowned. "I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion," he mumbled, red-faced.

Zuko gave a curt nod. "We'll see you at dinner." With that he turned and strode out of the room, tugging irritably at his ripped sleeve.

Sokka started to say something, but Katara shushed him with a raised hand and an expression like a thundercloud. "Don't. I can't believe you'd think that I would cheat on Aang, or anyone else for that matter. And what exactly did you think Zuko was doing, forcing me against my will? Is that how little you think of him?"

"Yeesh, Katara, don't make such a big deal out of it," Sokka replied. "I made a mistake, no harm done. Well," he smirked, "maybe a little bit to Zuko." He puffed out his chest.

"The only reason you don't look worse than him is because he was pulling his punches," Katara retorted, fully deflating his ego. "It wasn't just a mistake; someone could have been seriously hurt! And I mean you," she added sternly. "Attacking the Fire Lord in his own palace? How stupid can you be?"

Sokka scratched his head in embarrassment. "Gee, I never thought of it that way," he confessed. "Actually, I wasn't thinking at all."

"Typical," his sister muttered, putting a hand to her forehead and closing her eyes. "I'm going to go lie down for a while. We'll see you at dinner. Make sure Suki gets enough rest," she opened her eyes to add, unable to resist ordering him around one last time before leaving.

"She promised she would." Distracted by the thought of his wife, Sokka waved a quick good-bye and hurried out the door. Katara watched him go, then headed down the hall to the residential section of the palace.

Zuko was waiting just outside her door. He'd changed out of his torn robes and was dressed in a simple tunic and trousers, leaning against the wall, hands clasped behind his back. "How badly did you yell at him?" he asked with a wry grin.

"As badly as he deserved," she replied, rubbing a hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry, Zuko."

"Don't be; I don't blame him."

"Well I do," Katara snapped. "He should know better, know us better, after all this time!"

"He knows you as well as he ever did; it was me he doubted," Zuko pointed out quietly. "And I still don't blame him."

"Zuko, any reason he has to question your actions is so far in the past I can barely see it anymore," Katara replied, frustrated that Sokka still seemed to have doubts about Zuko. The man she loved.

"Not that far in the past," Zuko disagreed, the pushed away from the wall. "Anyway, I'm not going to hold it against him. We both knew this was going to be hard."

"Yeah, but I never thought my own brother would attack you!" Katara protested.

Zuko pressed a quick kiss against her lips, taking her hands in his before stepping away. "I have another stupid meeting with the Finance Minister in a half-hour. It'll probably take up most of the afternoon. I'll see you at dinner."

"Me and everyone else," Katara replied with a wry grin, offering a quick kiss of her own before he left. She watched as he disappeared down the hall, then opened her door and entered her room, rehearsing exactly what she would say at dinner tonight.

She wasn't looking forward to this particular meal at all.


	12. Dinner Party

**oOo**

"The world is coming to an end," Sokka announced dramatically as he kicked the door shut behind him.

Suki stared up at him from her half-reclining position on the divan; she'd still been rubbing sleep from her eyes when he came in but was certainly wide awake now. "Again? I thought Sozin's Comet wasn't coming for another 100 years!" She jumped to her feet, alarmed.

Sokka rushed to her side, shaking his head and waving his hands reassuringly. "No, no, not that kind of end of the world. The kind where everything you think you know turns out be the exact opposite of what you thought it was you knew."

Suki puzzled through that one for a moment, finally noticing the rumpled state of her husband's hair and clothes. She stepped towards him for a closer look. "Sokka! Is that a cut on your lip? What happened?" Then, incredulously: "Were you _fighting_?!"

"Yup, as a matter of fact I was," Sokka replied, touching the lip in question and wincing. "It all has to do with the not-knowing-what-you-think-you-know stuff I was talking about."

Suki sighed. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that Mai and Zuko are no longer betrothed, and Katara and Aang broke up about the same time the betrothal was cancelled?"

Sokka's jaw dropped. "How did you know about that?"

She shrugged. "The servants gossip, you know that. Especially if you're someone like me, who's actually willing to pitch in and help, no matter how scandalous that might seem." She frowned. "So why were you fighting? And who?" Her eyes widened. "Sokka, were you fighting with _Zuko_?"

"Well, it's all Katara's fault," he muttered, scuffing one foot on the immaculate tile floor. "If she'd just told us in the first place, I never would have just assumed he was pushing himself on her."

That garnered a raised eyebrow. "Pushing himself on her? Zuko? On Katara?" The eyebrow rose even higher. "On _anyone_?"

Sokka scratched the back of his head the way he did when he was uneasy. "Yeah, well, maybe I was wrong…"

"Maybe? The second eyebrow joined the first as Suki stared at him. "Sokka, you're my husband and I love you but sometimes you can be pretty thick. Even when Zuko was chasing us it was always a matter of family honor to him, not because he was evil and twisted like his sister!"

Sokka's jaw dropped even further. "Since when did you become such a big fan of Zuko?!"

She shrugged. "Since he helped us defeat his father and brought the beginnings of peace to the entire world."

"Oh, yeah, that." He ducked his head and looked down at his feet, which were still dripping wet. And cold. Not that he minded, in this heat, but the least his sister could have done was dried him out before sending him away.

"Yeah, _that_," Suki repeated sarcastically. "I hope you apologized."

"Do you think Katara would have let me leave the room if I hadn't?" Sokka returned. "I guess I'd better change before dinner."

"Well, at least we're still welcome in the palace," Suki sighed. "I have to wash up and change, too, so I'll come with you."

Sokka grinned and snaked an arm around her waist. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

She punched him lightly in the arm and grinned. "Of course not. I just wish you'd think before charging into things sometimes."

"Aww, then I wouldn't be the man you fell in love with," he said, nuzzling her ear. She giggled as they headed for their bedchamber, arms entwined around each other's waists, Sokka's hand resting gently on her rounded belly.

**oOo**

Katara took extra care with her appearance that evening. She fussed over her hair and clothes, actually asking the advice of the woman who was supposed to help her dress and was never allowed to do so. Zulina almost fainted from the shock, but quickly regained her equilibrium and helped her mistress find something suitable for a semi-formal evening dinner with family. And the Fire Lord.

Katara regarded herself in the mirror of her dressing room. She looked perfect, except for the slightly puckered area between her eyebrows. She tried to smooth it out, to adopt a happier expression, only to see the anxiety frown return. "It's just dinner," she told herself. "The hard part is over." She tried once again to plaster a genuine smile on her face, only to once again fail miserably while Zulina busied herself with putting away the rejected gowns. Katara absently started to help her, only to be told sharply that she'd just spent hours getting herself ready, and why did she want to ruin it by wrinkling her clothing now?

So she meekly returned to her bed chamber, to sit and fidget with the bracelets Zulina had helped her pick out, waiting for the gong to sound. It seemed to take forever. When it finally did ring through the courtyard, she shot from her bed and nervously raced for the door, forcing herself to stop and take a calming breath before leaving the room. Keeping her pace to a decorous stroll, she reached the dinner chamber at almost the same time as Zuko.

"Wow," was all he managed to say. Katara blushed and fidgeted once more with the bracelets while he continued to stare at her. "You look great," he finally managed to stammer out.

"She certainly does," came his uncle's approving voice from behind him, seconds before a hand was clapped on his shoulder. "And so does the table." It was laden with food, all Uncle's favorites, along with some of Ursa's and Katara's and, for old time's sake, a small bowl of roasted ground nuts for Sokka.

Ursa was the next to appear, greeting Iroh warmly. "Why didn't you send a message you were coming?" she scolded gently as she took his arm and led him to the low cushion next to hers. "We would have prepared better, stocked up on teas!"

"Oh, there's plenty of 'tease' in this family," was his rebuttal, eliciting a groan from his nephew, still standing near the door, Katara at his side. She was too nervous to sit, and Zuko wasn't supposed to sit until all his guests had arrived, per custom.

While Iroh and Ursa chatted, Zuko stole a look at Katara. She did look great, dressed in a formal gown that wasn't too heavy for her in the heat, her arms and shoulders bare, gold bracelets dangling on both wrists. She was wearing reds and oranges tonight, rather than her usual blues, and he frowned at that; was she sending some kind of subtle message with her clothing? Or was it just that she knew how well the Fire Nation colors set off her eyes and skin, complementing her exotic beauty? Or was he just being an idiot and reading meaning into something that had no meaning?

Katara was still fidgeting nervously with the bracelets; when she caught his eye, she visibly forced her hands down to her sides and gave him an attempt at a smile.

"It'll be all right, Katara," Zuko whispered to her reassuringly. "It's just dinner, and since they already know about the break-ups, it should be fine."

"And if Sokka mouths off, Suki will be sure to put him in his place...Oh, Suki!" Katara's eyes widened in consternation. "With everything that's happened, I forgot to tell you, Suki's pre–"

Before she could finish the sentence, the door opened behind them, and Suki and Sokka strolled in. Zuko's mouth dropped open in surprise at the obvious bulge in Suki's middle. "You're pregnant!" he said, delighted, dropping a kiss on her cheek and offering a warm hug.

She hugged him back, laughing. "Yep! And we're staying to have the baby here, if you don't mind!"

Zuko laughed. "Well, not here in the dining room, I hope, but you know you're welcome to stay as long as you want." He looked pointedly at Sokka. "Both of you. I mean all of you." He gestured toward the table. "Please, have a seat." He offered her his arm, leaving Sokka to escort his sister, ignoring the grumbling he heard about "uppity Fire Lords" and "she's MY wife". The last thing he heard was a semi-audible "Oof!" as Katara elbowed her brother in the midriff before leaving him at his cushion and taking her own. At Zuko's right side.

If there was any doubt in anyone's mind as to the change in her and Zuko's status, that cleared it up immediately. Iroh grinned, Suki winked at Katara, Ursa nodded approval, and Sokka...was too busy eating to notice. As a sudden silence descended, he looked up from his bowl of rice. "What?" he asked. "This _is_ a dinner, isn't it?"

"I thought we might clear up a few things first," Zuko replied, reaching over to take Katara's hand in his. "You all know Mai broke the betrothal, and that Aang broke up with Katara. I just want everyone to be clear on one thing: I love Katara, and she loves me." She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand, encouraging him to continue. Grateful he was taking the burden of explanation onto himself. "We both know Mai and Aang are hurt, and we never wanted that to happen."

"So how did it happen, then?" Sokka demanded. "Katara, you said you'd tell us. So tell!"

"It was all because someone listened in on a private conversation," Zuko began. Giving as little detail as he thought he could get away with, he explained the situation, helped out by Katara whenever she thought he was being a little _too_ terse, her nervousness easing with every passing moment. "So that's it," he concluded, looking around, but mostly trying to see how Sokka was taking it.

Feeling everyone's attention on him, Sokka slowly leaned forward and planted his elbows on the table. Addressing Katara, he said: "You're in love with Zuko?" She nodded. "And Aang knows what's going on?" She nodded again. After a deliberately drawn out moment, Sokka shrugged. "OK." He started eating again.

Zuko let out silent sigh of relief. If Sokka had chosen to be difficult, Katara would have been upset and things would have been very uncomfortable for them all.

General conversation broke out as everyone joined Sokka and started eating, although Katara did more talking than eating as she, Suki and Ursa excitedly talked about the coming birth. Zuko did his best to shut that conversation out, although it was difficult since Katara was practically leaning across the table in front of him so she could talk to his mother, who sat at his left. Sokka and Iroh were catching up as well, and after a few minutes Katara leaned over and poked Zuko in the ribs.

"We're about to get into more detail about childbirth than any man wants to hear," she warned. Maybe you'd better go sit next to Uncle."

"Maybe I'd better," he agreed, hastily jumping to his feet. He hesitated a moment, then swooped back down to deliver a quick kiss, glancing at Sokka as he did so.

Sokka felt Zuko's eye on him and looked up with a grin. "Don't worry about me," he said around a mouthful of food and holding up his pointer finger. "One fight with you per visit, that's my limit." He returned his full attention to his food, pointedly ignoring the ground nuts that had been placed in front of him.


	13. Steam

**oOo**

At the end of the evening, Katara felt elated and exhausted at the same time. It had gone much better than she'd dared to hope, but the nervous anticipation had worn her out more than she expected. Her eyes were drooping and she was stifling yawns long before Sokka declared himself full and took himself and Suki back to their house. Uncle escorted Ursa to her rooms, chattering about old times the entire way, while Zuko walked her to the door of her own chamber.

She thought about the complex nature of their relationship as they walked, Zuko apparently lost in thoughts of his own, or else unwilling to interrupt her. They'd been together now for almost six weeks, they'd been secretly in love with each other for at least six months, Uncle assumed they were to be married, but she still wasn't sure if she was ready for that step yet. It seemed wrong, somehow, to become engaged to Zuko while Aang was away, as if she were doing it behind his back. She knew it was unreasonable, but she couldn't help how she felt. When the moment was right, she'd know.

Just as she thought she'd know when she was finally ready for the other next step in her relationship with Zuko: physical intimacy. They hadn't become lovers, although she knew everyone from the servants on up thought they had; certainly Zuko and Mai had shared his bed from a fairly early point in their betrothal. But Katara was still a virgin, and Zuko wasn't pushing, another reason she found to love him. Not that she didn't want him; there were some nights she lay awake for hours, wondering what in the world she was holding back for. But in the morning she was always glad she'd resisted the urge to sneak into Zuko's room, or the urge to invite him into hers. Or just the urge to jump his bones, which happened at odd times, not just in the middle of the night when her dreams were enough to make her blush. Certainly she'd never dreamed about Aang that way...

That thought brought a small blush to her cheeks, which she quickly hid by leaning forward and allowing her hair to briefly cover her face. When she felt her cheeks cooling she shrugged the heavy black tresses over her shoulders, enjoying the feel of Zuko's arm around her waist. She leaned against this shoulder, then smiled up at him. He smiled back at her and squeezed gently as she shyly placed her own arm around his waist, a liberty she generally refrained from taking while they were in public. Zuko's surprised grin was all the reward she needed to make up her mind.

She showed no sign of the direction her thoughts were taking her, at least she hoped not, as they stopped in front of her door. Zuko lingered for his usual good-night kiss, which Katara surprised him by responding to more enthusiastically than usual.

Zuko pulled back after a moment, flushed and a little bit alarmed. "Katara, I really should say good-night..."

She pulled him down for another lingering kiss, then abruptly pulled back. "I know. I'm sorry." Her eyes were shining. "It's just that, hearing you tell everyone how you feel about me, it made me so happy, and I just want to show you how happy I am. How much I love you." She reached for him, but he gently held her away.

"Katara, are you asking me to stay?" he asked, his voice husky with desire.

She nodded, looking down at her feet, uncertain but full of anticipation.

"This is the hardest thing I've ever had to say, but...I don't think this is the right time."

Katara stared up at him, astonished and hurt. "You're saying no?"

Zuko gave her a half-smile. "I'm not saying no, but I'm not ready to say yes." Katara gave a snort of laughter at his repetition of her own words to him only six weeks earlier. "Not yet. It's too soon, and we both know it. No matter how much we want to be together, this isn't the right time."

Katara studied him closely. He meant it, she could tell, just as she could tell how much those words were costing him. He did want to be with her, she could see it in his eyes, but she also, reluctantly, admitted that he was right. She'd tried to give in to an impulse, one she probably would have regretted in the morning. Or maybe not; either way, she wasn't going to find out. "When will it be the right time?" she asked, trying not to sound like a pouty child. But it was hard to hide her disappointment.

He kissed her briefly on the lips. "We'll both know. But I can tell you right now, I don't think it'll be until after you accept this." He reached into his sash and pulled out the betrothal ring.

Katara stared at it. The gold band was simple, but the fire stone shone with a swirl of reds and golds and even the tiniest hint of blue, catching the light and sparkling as Zuko held it between two fingers. "You're right. I'll know when I'm ready," she finally said.

He nodded and tucked it back into his sash. "I love you, Katara," he said simply. "You know I'll wait for you as long as it takes." He pressed one more kiss on her lips, then waited for her to open the door and slip into her room. She watched him leave before closing the door and crossing over to sit by the window. The shutters were thrown open to the night to allow the cool evening breezes in, and she sat for a long time, staring out at the stars.

**oOo**

The next morning Katara woke early, in spite of her restless night. When she did sleep, her dreams were full of exactly the kind of images and feelings she'd half-dreaded, half hoped for. But she couldn't be angry with Zuko; not now, in the full light of day when common sense reigned. She'd thought she was ready, but she knew now it was just as much relief at having successfully gotten through dinner as it was desire for the man she loved.

"Why do things always have to be so complicated?" she asked aloud. There was no answer, of course, so she rolled to her side to try and get some more sleep.

A half-hour later, she was up, dressed, and heading for the courtyard for some Bending practice before breakfast, sleep having completely eluded her no matter how hard she pursued it. She wasn't surprised to see Zuko there as well. Bending. Shirtless. She gulped.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked when he paused after a series of complicated movements, wiping sweat from his forehead with a towel one of his assistants tossed to him.

He grinned and sauntered over to deliver a light kiss to her lips. "About as well as you probably did."

She blushed, allowing him to see it this time. "Well, who's fault was that?"

"Mine," Zuko cheerfully admitted. "Any regrets?"

"No, you were right, it wasn't the right time," Katara said in a low murmur. The assistants were far enough away that they probably couldn't overhear the conversation, but you never knew.

"I'm the Fire Lord," Zuko joked, flicking her nose with his finger. "Don't you know I'm always right?"

"Hah!" she said, poking him in the chest. "We'll see about that!" She bent her knees and went into a Bending stance. Zuko jumped back a few feet, taking a stance of his own. Although they were careful not to hurt each other, they'd discovered that practicing their Bending together helped them refine areas where they were both still a little rough. Besides, it was fun.

Laughing and shouting good-natured jibes at each other, fire and water twisted and flew through the air between them as they moved about, raising a cloud of steam whenever the two elements met. Zuko's two assistants knew they were no longer needed, but instead of leaving right away took seats on a bench under the covered walkways that surround the courtyard. It was always entertaining to watch the Fire Lord and his Water Bender when they practiced together.

A few minutes later Iroh joined them, sitting on the end of their bench to drink his tea and observe his nephew and Katara enjoying themselves.

He smiled to himself as they moved fluidly around the courtyard, sometimes competing, sometimes cooperating, shouting out encouragement and jeers depending on the success of the attempts. They looked well together, he had always known that, and it was a comfort to see for himself how well they worked and played together as well. "It won't be long before the Fire Nation has a new Lady for its Lord," he said aloud, as much to gauge the other men's reactions as anything.

The first of the two assistants, a youngster from one of the rural areas of the Fire Nation, nodded, but his companion, an older man who had grown up in the Court, scowled and turned his head. _Just as I thought. _Iroh shook. _This will not be easy. But if anyone can do it, they can._

He watched until they came to a mutual stop about a half-hour later and left the courtyard, hand in hand, neither one of them noticing his presence, too absorbed in each other. The assistants left as well, leaving Iroh to contemplate the burns and damp spots that were all that was left of the recent mock combat.

"They look good."

Startled, Iroh looked up at that unexpected voice; it was only rarely that anyone could sneak up on him. "Aang," he said as the Avatar moved out of the shadows to stand next to the bench.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_A/N: Sorry if anyone's disappointed that Zuko and Katara held back, but I don't want to rush things for them. And now Aang's back as well; what will that mean for our almost-lovers? R&R and let me know what you think!_


	14. Aangxiety

Iroh studied Aang for a moment. He looked weary, his expression otherwise unreadable. "When did you return?"

"Just this morning." Aang turned toward him to offer a quick bow and an even quicker smile. "I thought I'd see you in Ba Sing Se, but I guess we just missed each other." His attention returned to the empty courtyard, his eyes visibly tracing the path of the now-vanished Katara and Zuko. "I should have known you'd come here."

"News travels," the older man said simply. He patted the bench next to him. "Come, sit. Talk, if you like. Or just keep an old man company on this fine morning."

Aang continued to stand, but shifted a little closer to the bench. "Mai stayed in Ba Sing Se for a while," he volunteered after a moment of companionable silence. "She found a fighting school that needed some instructors and decided to try it out."

Iroh grunted approval. "That's good. It seems to me that she needed a clean break."

Aang stared into the middle distance. "A clean break," he repeated wistfully. "I wish I could do the same thing. But I can't; my presence at Zuko's side is one of the few things keeping the peace from breaking down. Besides, Zuko and Katara are my friends, I couldn't desert them no matter how much..."

"No matter how much it pains you to be around them," Iroh finished gently. Aang nodded, lips compressed. "You are a true friend, Avatar. I am truly sorry that you have been hurt by this."

Aang looked at him steadily. "But you're not sorry that Zuko and Katara are together."

Iroh raised an eyebrow at the youth's perceptiveness. "No," he said slowly. "I'm not. I believe they are good for each other, and their marriage will unite two people who have only known hatred for a century. It will be humbling for the arrogant Fire Kingdom, and bring pride to the Water Tribes."

"What, and being with the Avatar wasn't something to be proud of?" Aang regretted the words as soon as they left his lips; Iroh could tell by the way his eyes widened, by how he bit his lip as if trying too late to bar the bitterness he obviously felt from becoming public.

"Of course it is," Iroh replied placidly. If anyone was allowed a little bitterness right now, it was Aang. "It is something songs are written about, tales are told about, and legends grow around. But it is not your destiny. Nor is it hers."

"There was a soothsayer, a fortune teller we saw once," Aang said, dropping bonelessly to the bench next to Iroh, elbows resting on his knees. Talking, apparently, to his feet. "She said things I didn't want to believe at the time, but now..."

"Now they make sense, eh?" Iroh clapped a sympathetic hand to the Avatar's shoulder. "Truth isn't always something we wish to face, no matter how it forces itself upon us. Zuko took a long time to understand that, but I think you are perhaps a quicker study when it comes to such things."

Aang shrugged. "I guess," he mumbled, offering Iroh a sidelong glance. "Should I go congratulate them?"

"No congratulations are due, at least not yet. Katara refuses to say yes; something is keeping her from fully committing to my nephew, and I think we both know what it is."

"It's because of me," Aang said in a small voice. "Even though I told her she was free to work things out with Zuko, she's still worried about how I'll feel about it."

Iroh nodded. "As I said, Avatar, you are a quick study."

Aang straightened up, a determined look in his eye. "Then I guess I'd better go talk to her. If Zuko is who she wants to be with," he grimaced, "who she's _destined_ to be with, then I have to let her know I understand. And I won't run off, not this time. This time, I guess I'll have to stay and face the consequences." He stood up, offered a bow and a salute, one fist against an open palm, and strode off.

"He has grown in wisdom," Iroh said softly. "I only hope he truly feels what his words are saying, or it will be a long time before he gets over this."

**oOo**

Katara was humming to herself as she changed into clean clothes, carefully folding her practice tunic and trousers into a neat pile for the laundry girl to take. Washing clothes was one thing she hadn't been able to do for herself, and, if she were being honest, one thing she didn't particularly _want_ to do for herself. It was so nice to wake up in the morning and know that clean clothes awaited her without her having put any effort into it.

She was interrupted by a knock at her door. "Come in!" she called, resuming her humming and turning to see who it was. The humming died in her throat as she saw Aang standing there. "Oh. You're back."

"You knew I wasn't going to stay away forever, right?" The cheer was forced, they both knew it, but awkwardness wasn't to be avoided. Just as they couldn't avoid each other forever, not if they wanted to rebuild something out of their previous relationship.

Katara fiddled with the hem of the half-folded tunic she still clutched in one hand. "Of course not," she said in a low voice, then cleared her throat and said it louder. "Of course not. I'm glad you came back."

"Are you?" Once more words he'd rather not have spoken came rushing out of his mouth. Aang could have smacked himself when he saw the hurt in Katara's eyes. "I'm sorry, I know you are, just like I'm happy to see you. Even," he swallowed. Hard. "Even if it's knowing you and Zuko are together."

Silence filled the room until Katara threw down the clothing she was now clenching in her fists with an exclamation of annoyance. "I hate this!"

"So do I!" Aang seemed relieved to have it out in the open. "I just wish things could go back to the way they were!"

Wrong thing to say, he knew it as soon as the words left his mouth. What _was_ it with him today? "Not us, I don't mean that, well I guess I do, but what I really want is for us to be friends again. All of us; you, me, Zuko, even Mai but I don't think she's ready for that, if she ever will be, but I am. Ready, that is. To get back to being friends..."_ You're babbling, shut _up_ you idiot!_

Unexpectedly, Katara started laughing. She put a hand over her mouth to smother the sound, but giggles kept leaking through. "Oh, Aang, I've never wanted to stop being your friend. You sounded just like you used to, when you'd get all flustered over something when we first met, that's why I'm laughing. Because of the memories, not at you."

The embarrassed flush slowly left Aang's cheeks as he listened to Katara's words. Still giggling, she walked over and took his hand in hers. "Aang, I will always love you." The giggles died as she gazed into his eyes. "I'm just sorry it can't be the way you want it to be. When you left, you said you could never hate me. Please tell me that's true, even now." It was her turn to redden. "Zuko's asked me to marry him."

"I know. I also know you haven't given him an answer yet. Is it because of me?"

Katara shrugged helplessly. "I think so. Maybe. Saying yes didn't feel right if you weren't here to hear me tell you myself. I didn't want it to reach you as gossip."

"Oh, there's been plenty of gossip," Aang replied with a wry grin. "Everyone seems to think that Zuko is giving up one politically correct marriage in favor of another. One that will help mend the peace more than if he married a Fire Nation noblewoman."

"It's not like that--" Katara protested, annoyed with herself that she hadn't thought of how it would look to others.

"I know." Another lopsided grin. Aang loosened his hold on her hand. "You love him. You've figured it out." She nodded. "Then you should marry him, if that's what you want. I still won't stand in your way. I've had some time to do some thinking, and I've decided our friendship means more to me than holding a grudge." His grin turned sad. "I guess even the Avatar can't make someone fall in love with someone else."

Katara hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome," he whispered as well, hugging her back, glad that she couldn't see the spasm of pain that crossed his features before he pushed her away. "I think you have something to talk to Zuko about."

Katara beamed. "I guess I do." She hesitated on her way to the door. "How long will you be staying this time?"

"Oh, at least until the wedding. I want everyone to see that the Avatar approves of this marriage. That way the gossip will die down a little faster."

Katara nodded, then walked out the door, breaking into a skipping run as soon as she was far enough down the corridor that Aang couldn't see her. She couldn't stop smiling as she hurried along. Zuko would be at the breakfast table by now, probably fidgeting impatiently because he couldn't eat until she showed up, and he was always starving after Bending practice. Iroh would be there as well, and Ursa...Her steps slowed as she considered Ursa. She and Zuko's mother got along quite well, even though Katara had been afraid that her new relationship with the Fire Lady's son wouldn't be welcome. But she seemed fine with it, treating Katara no differently than she had before. Of course, that was without seeing the family betrothal ring on a Water Tribe peasant's finger.

Well, not really a peasant in the Fire Nation sense, no matter how much Azula loved to toss that insult around. After all, Hakoda was a chief, and as his daughter, Katara had some status equivalent to at least a Fire Nation noblewoman. "Why am I doing this to myself?" she asked aloud, giving a shake and speeding her steps once again. "The Lady Ursa likes me, and I'm sure she'll have no problem with me marrying her son. I hope." Her steps lagged again as she considered the idea, not liking the direction her thoughts were taking. After all, Zuko was the Fire Lord, the man she intended to marry. His opinion was the only one she should be worrying about, not Ursa's, not Aang's, not anyone's but his and her own.

She stamped her foot in frustration. "Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

"Um, it's just breakfast, Katara; the only thing complicating it is the fact that I can't eat until you come in and sit down." Zuko gazed at her quizzically as she stared at him. He was standing directly behind her, leaning against a door; lost in her thoughts, she'd gone right by the breakfast room, not even noticing him.

"Zuko! I'm sorry, I was thinking."

"Yeah, I could tell." He poked gentle finger between her eyebrows. "There's still a frown line; is there something I can do to make it go away?"

She opened her mouth to say _yes, ask me to marry you again_, but stopped. Not now, not when everyone was in the room waiting for them. "Feed me," was all she did say. He held out his hand and she clasped it in hers.

_After breakfast, _she decided. _When we can be alone together._

_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

_A/N: Thank you once again for all your kind words, and especially to Dragon Jadefire for all the nit-picky-wanna-get-the-story-right help from Zuko's "stalker"! This story has already gone on way longer than I thought it would, mostly due to my readers' encouragement. I promise Toph will make an appearance and there is still more to come. R&R, it's like lifeblood and manna from heaven to us writers! Oh yeah, and apologies for the crummy pun title of this chapter, but I couldn't resist._


	15. Breakfast Interrupted

**Part 3: War Drums**

If Katara thought she'd been knotted up over dinner, she felt even worse at breakfast. She picked at her food, only half-listening to the conversation flowing around her as she remained lost in her thoughts. Telling herself it was just her and Zuko that mattered was one thing; facing his mother and uncle and knowing for sure that only one of those two fully approved a marriage between the Fire Lord and herself wasn't helping.

Suki and Sokka, whom she'd expected to see, hadn't joined them, and she assumed they were enjoying breakfast in their own house. Or, more likely from what Suki had confided to her and Ursa, Sokka was enjoying the breakfast for both of them. Morning sickness, usually gone by the end of the third month of pregnancy, had lingered for Suki well into her fourth month with no signs of stopping now that she was getting into her fifth.

Zuko noticed Katara's distraction, and wasn't sure what to attribute it to: her concerns about her brother, their close encounter in the hall outside her room last night, or something else entirely. She'd seemed fine at practice earlier, but now something was bothering her and he hated not knowing what it was. Just as he was about to ask her, however, a page hurried into the room, bowing low and offering a rolled up piece of paper to Zuko. "Excuse the intrusion, Fire Lord," he murmured, still bowing, "but the Minister of War requested that I bring this to you at once."

Zuko accepted the message and sent the page on his way. Scowling, he read the entire thing once, then again, before looking up at the expectant, wary faces of his family. "There's been an uprising in the northern Fire Nation territories, soldiers causing trouble in my father's name." He traded grim looks with Iroh. "Uncle, I know you're just visiting, but I would appreciate your counsel in this matter."

Iroh rose to his feet and bowed formally. "I would be honored, Fire Lord." He bowed again to Ursa and Katara. "Please forgive us, but I believe this matter requires our immediate attention." Zuko had also risen to his feet and bowed to the two women, clenching the note in one hand.

"We'll see you later," Katara said, giving Zuko a look of her own. One that warned him not to try and downplay this issue. "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"You know I will," Zuko promised, pressing a quick kiss on her lips as she, too rose to her feet. Then he and Iroh hurried out of the room, talking in low voices as Katara sat back down, staring after them.

"This is a very serious matter, but not unexpected," the Lady Ursa said after a moment. Katara started; she'd almost forgotten she wasn't alone in the dining room. "Many believed my husband to be destined to bring the Fire Nation to greater prominence than it already held, and many of them bitterly resent the Avatar for what the perceive as his interference in that destiny."

"I know," Katara replied, biting her lip. So much for talking to Zuko after breakfast; it sounded like he and Uncle would be huddled together with various ministers for hours. And she suspected it likely that this would end in Zuko having to physically go out and take care of this himself. It wasn't the sort of thing she anticipated him putting off on one of his generals, not when he was still having to prove himself to so many people. She said as much to Ursa, who nodded.

"I believe that is also why he did not request your counsel in this matter, Katara," Ursa said. "Not because he does not value it, but because now is not the time for him to bring in an outsider to deal with an internal Fire Nation matter. No matter how beloved an outsider," she added with a gentle smile.

Katara blushed at the compliment, even as she nodded her understanding of Ursa's words. If his enemies perceived Zuko as relying too heavily on outside allies, they would be able to exploit that as a weakness, one the proud Fire Nation would quickly grow to resent. Civil war in the aftermath of Ozai's deposing was always a possible, even two years after Aang had taken away his Fire Bending abilities.

Katara sighed, plopping her chin inelegantly onto her hands. "I only hope it doesn't make things worse when we..." She stopped abruptly, realizing what she was about to say. So much for discretion.

Ursa offered another smile in response to Katara's sudden silence. "When you and my son marry, it will be a sign of unity and peace, but there will always be those who resent an outsider with so much influence over the Fire Lord. They feel that way now; you should simply see it as one of the obstacles you will have to overcome. You love my son very much, I can tell." Katara nodded, although it was obvious the Fire Lady wasn't asking a question. "He loves you as well, my dear, enough to be determined to marry you no matter what the political cost to himself."

"Do you mind, would you...could you tell me how _you_ feel about it?" Katara asked timidly. It wasn't exactly how she'd pictured introducing the subject, but if Ursa already assumed Katara and Zuko were to be married, then she may as well find out how her future mother-in-law felt about it. Bracing herself for the worst, Katara waited for an answer.

Ursa seemed to mull it over for a long period of time before standing up and gesturing for Katara to do the same. Breakfast was long since forgotten; Katara stepped around the table and stood in front of Ursa. Waiting.

Ursa reached out and took Katara by the arms. "My dear, all I want is for my son to be happy, and I've seen for myself how happy he's been since the two of you declared your love for each other." Her face clouded. "All I've ever wanted for my children was happiness, and I'm just sorry that it took so long for Zuko to find it. Azula never did, but I'm not sure if I could have helped her even if I had been allowed to be with her longer. I will be pleased to call you my daughter-in-law when that day comes. Have you accepted the betrothal ring yet?"

Katara shook her head, her eyes shining. "Not yet. I was going to talk to Zuko this morning, but I think I'd better wait until this crisis is over. I don't want to distract him or anything."

"I believe you should act sooner rather than later," Ursa said with a frown. "This crisis, as you call it, could last much longer than any of us would like to believe." With those foreboding words, she pulled Katara into a hug, which the younger woman gladly returned. "I will welcome you to the family with an open heart, Katara," Ursa said softly. "Just remember my words; it won't be easy, and don't wait too long to speak to my son."

"Thank you," Katara whispered as they separated. They left the room together, then each went to their own chambers, Katara to think and Ursa to plan a wedding. The sooner the better, in her opinion, not just for Katara to talk to Zuko and accept the ring, but for the actual wedding to occur.

With all the confusion in her thoughts, it didn't occur to Katara until she was already in her room that she hadn't told Zuko that Aang had returned.


	16. Battle Plans

**oOo**

Zuko strode down the hall, talking to his uncle in an urgent undertone. As they turned a corner, he glanced up, then stopped short when he realized who was standing at the end of the short hall that led to the Council chambers. "Aang," was all he managed.

Iroh shook his head. "I apologize, Nephew; I did not have the chance to tell you the Avatar had returned." He'd been about to do so when the messenger had interrupted breakfast with his grim news. "He arrived early this morning. When you and Katara were at practice," he added, with just a hint of warning.

Zuko caught it, nodding slightly as he began walking again. Aang hadn't moved, was still standing further down the hall. Waiting for them, obviously, and just as obviously not wanting to interrupt their conversation. Courteous as always.

"Welcome back," Zuko began when they reached Aang, then stopped, unsure how to continue. "Um, how was you tour of the Earth Kingdom?"

Aang shrugged. "You know, the usual. Diplomats trying to make me listen to them talk for hours, when all I really wanted to do was talk to the people. Try to get a feel for how they're adjusting. That sort of thing." There was an awkward pause, then Aang straightened his shoulders and looked Zuko squarely in the eyes. "Mai decided to stay in Ba Sing Se for a while. She needed a little time and distance to get used to things the way they are now. You know. Between you and Katara."

Zuko wasn't sure how to respond to that statement. "That's good, that she decided to stay. I mean, not that she's not welcome here, you know she is, but she was pretty mad. I guess she still is, even if she doesn't let anyone else see it. Not that I blame her," he added hastily. He, too squared his shoulders, no longer the Fire Lord but merely a nineteen-year-old boy facing his girlfriend's ex. "Aang, you know we never meant for this to happen..."

Aang waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it Zuko. It hurts, I won't lie, but I've only ever wanted what's best for Katara, what makes her happy. If that's you rather than me, well, I guess I'll have to live with that. But we're still friends, all of us, at least I want it that way, and I know Katara does, too."

"So do I," Zuko said eagerly, relieved that Aang wasn't going to make this even harder than it already was. He drew a deep breath. "Thanks. For understanding." He thrust out his hand, and Aang took it without a moment's hesitation.

Iroh placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder, to remind him that they had other business to attend to. Urgent business. Zuko nodded without looking at his uncle. "Aang, I'm sorry, but we have to go meet with the Minister of War about an uprising in the north. I'll consult with you about it a little later, if you don't mind. In private." Aang nodded and stepped aside, watching as they vanished around a corner. Iroh glanced back and waved, and Aang waved back, dropping his hand to his side as soon as they were gone.

Consult in private. "That's not good," Aang murmured to himself as he walked away, hands behind his back, head bent slightly as he considered the implications of Zuko's statements. The ones not pertaining to his current relationship with Katara. Meeting in private meant that he didn't want to seem to be relying on the Avatar in this matter, which meant things hadn't settled down in the Fire Nation as much as they'd hoped it had, two years after Ozai's deposing. "He's not gonna like what I have to tell him about the Earth Kingdom, either," Aang murmured to himself as he headed for the gardens for some meditation.

**oOo**

Katara found it hard to settle down after breakfast, even after her encouraging discussion with Ursa. The older woman had retired to her chambers to rest, as she seemed to do more and more these days; Katara fretted over her health, which had seemed to be improving, and considered talking to the Court Physicians and some of the local healers about it. Then she reconsidered; it probably wasn't a good time for there to be gossip about the Lady Ursa's health. Certainly not with an uprising of Ozai's followers occupying everyone's attention.

She left her room to roam around the gardens a bit, exiting from one end just as Aang was entering from the other, each unaware of the other's presence. She visited with Suki and Sokka, explaining the situation to them, watching them exchange unhappy glances while Suki's hand unconsciously rubbed her expanding belly. "Maybe you should have stayed home," Katara said with a frown.

Suki shook her head. "No, it was important to us both that we be with you when the baby came. Now it's too late for me to travel anyway."

"But I'm sure we'll be perfectly fine," Sokka interrupted, not doing a very good job of hiding his worry, even with the huge grin plastered to his features. "Right, Katara? Perfectly fine, safe and sound. Here in the Fire Lord's palace. The home of the guy a bunch of people hate right now." His voice trailed off, and Suki ended up patting his hand and saying soothing words to calm him down.

Katara left soon after that, feeling guilty that she'd had to be the bearer of such grim tidings, but not without trying to raise the spirits of the young parents-to-be. "Who knows, this could all just blow over," she said. Trying to convince herself as well as them. "Zuko may not even have to leave."

On that note she left the house by the back door, determined to do some more Bending practice. As soon as the door shut behind her, a knock came at the front. Sokka dragged himself over to open it, his expression lightening as he saw who was standing there. "Aang! Come on in, we didn't know you were here!" He pounded his friend on the back and gave him a quick one-armed hug. "Suki! Look who's here!"

"You just missed Katara," Suki said as she rose to her feet to greet their friend. Aang's eyes widened as he noted her condition, and she grinned. "Yup, I'm pregnant. Blame him." She jerked a thumb at Sokka, who reddened slightly before offering a sheepish grin as well. She held her arms out for a hug, which Aang gladly returned, then they settled down to chat.

Katara, meanwhile, found herself completely unable to concentrate. The third time she splashed herself in the face, she gave it up, sending the water back to its containers and stomping back to the gardens. There was no peace for her there; everyone she ran into either asked about Aang or wanted to know if the rumors of an uprising were true. She reassured everyone as best she could, finally retreating to the safety of her own room in self-defense.

She paced away the remainder of the morning, and only went to lunch when the gong sounded out of hope that Zuko would be there. But she was doomed to disappointment; his personal banner wasn't hanging by the door, indicating not only that he wasn't there, but that he wasn't expected to be there. She sighed and plodded into the room.

Even Ursa wasn't there; resting, the serving girl told her apologetically. And neither Iroh nor the Fire Lord, she confirmed, would be joining Katara either. She stared down at her empty plate when the girl left, debating whether she should try and force herself to eat or just go back to her rooms and try and nap the time away, when the door opened again and Suki, Sokka and Aang entered. She forced a welcoming smile, or started to, when Aang shook his head.

"Don't bother trying to put on a cheerful face, Katara. We all know you're worried. So are we." He sat down next to her and pulled a bowl of rice toward his plate.

Suki and Sokka sat across from them, both piling their plates high with food and digging in immediately. "No breakfast," Suki said apologetically, when she saw Katara staring in astonishment at the amount of food she'd taken; it nearly equaled that of her husband. "And my appetite's enormous in the afternoons now."

Katara tried a few bites herself, encouraged by the appetites of those around her, and discovered that not eating much at breakfast left a good-sized gap by lunch, even if hours of worrying had disguised that fact until the food actually touched her lips.

"No Lady Ursa today?" Sokka asked after a moment. He knew where Zuko and Iroh were, but it had taken him a good half a plate's worth of food before he noticed anyone else was missing.

"Sometimes she only eats one or two meals a day," Katara confided. They were alone, not even a servant in the room, and it felt good to be able to express her worries over Zuko's mother. "She was doing a lot better, but then recently she started tiring easily and lost much of her appetite. I just wish there was something more I could do for her."

"She went through a terrible ordeal," Aang offered around a mouthful of rice and vegetables. "When we brought her back, you remember the Court Physicians said they weren't sure if she would ever fully recover."

Katara sighed. "I know, but that doesn't make it any easier, especially when she was doing so much better just a few months ago!" She put down her bowl, her appetite vanishing as the worry reasserted itself. "And now Zuko might have to go to war, just when I was finally ready..."

"Finally ready to say yes?" Sokka supplied as her voice trailed off. She nodded miserably, offering an apologetic look to Aang.

He shrugged. "I already told you, your friendship means more to me than anything. If I can't even listen to you talk about Zuko, then I'd be in big trouble. So talk."

Katara started to reply when the door flew open. Iroh and Zuko strode into the room, Zuko slamming the door firmly shut behind him. "They're all a bunch of idiots!" he snarled, apparently in response to something Iroh had just said. Or perhaps to the situation in general. He stalked over to Katara's side, putting his arm over his shoulders and leaning forward for a kiss. She watched Aang out of the corner of her eyes as she kissed him back, but he showed no response, no change of expression, and she relaxed a bit as she asked Zuko what had happened.

"A portion of the northern territories have rebelled, under the Phoenix King's banner," he spat, eyes sparkling with rage. He dumped a pile of vegetables and meat into his bowl and continued talking as he chewed. "They claim that my reliance on the Avatar has weakened the Fire Nation, and they're calling for others to join them in restoring my father to his 'rightful throne'." He snorted to indicate his opinion on _that_ subject. "They're trying to destroy the peace, and they're finding a lot of sympathy among those who lost property they'd gained through conquest." He glared down at his food. "Including some of my so-called Council members. The only way I'm going to be able to keep this from spreading is through a definitive defeat of these rebels." He blew a weary sigh. "We leave in the morning. Aang," he turned to the Avatar. "The only thing I'm not sure of is whether to bring you with me or not."

Iroh nodded. "It is a difficult decision. If we bring the Avatar, the rebels will say we could not win without him. If we don't, they will say it is a sign that you secretly sympathize with them."

"Sounds like a no-win situation," Aang said slowly.

"It is," Zuko's response was blunt and honest. "There's no right way to do this, but it has to be done, and done quickly. Otherwise, I'll have a full-fledged civil war on my hands.

"What about me? Should I come or not?" Katara watched Zuko carefully to gauge his reaction.

She saw the conflict in his eyes, but then his expression hardened and he shook his head. "No. Not this time," he clarified. "Hopefully there won't be a next time, but if there is, then that'll mean I didn't put this down swiftly enough. When that time comes, if it does, we'll talk. But this time I want you to stay here." He glanced doubtfully at Suki. "Or even return home to visit your father..."

"Suki can't travel," she replied firmly. "So we'll stay here and wait for you to get back." She absolutely hated the idea, but Zuko was right. He had to make a strong showing as the Fire Lord, not depending on "outsiders" to do the job for him. Which was also why he had to lead this battle himself, and leave it to one of his generals.

"Aang, I think I'm going to ask you to come along," Zuko said, giving Katara's hand a quick squeeze to show his appreciation of her understanding. "I don't want to give anyone the impression that I'm afraid to continue our alliance."

Aang nodded. "Then I'll gladly come along. Maybe we can still reason with them, and avoid a battle all together."

"Maybe." Zuko sounded doubtful as he pulled himself to his feet. "I'm sorry we can't stay longer, but we have to prepare." He raised Katara's fingers to his lips. "I'll come to see you tonight before you retire, if that's all right."

"Of course. Let me know what I can do to help."

"Yeah, let us all know," Sokka chimed in. "You sure you don't need a good strategist along?"

Zuko shrugged. "Your wife's going to have a baby soon, and who knows how long this will take. I'd appreciate the company, but I'm not sure Suki can spare you right now."

"Suki will be fine," the lady in question replied firmly. She turned to her husband. "I knew you'd want to tag along, so I already had this debate with myself and decided to let you make up your own mind."

"Thanks, sweetie, you're the best," Sokka replied giving her a quick kiss, then stuffing one last candied date into his mouth before coming to his feet.

"Then I'll make even more certain to arrive back in the next four months," Zuko promised. "Come on, we'd better start the preparations." He hesitated, then turned back to Katara. "There is something I need you to do," he said softly. "Keep an eye on my mother. She hasn't seemed very well lately." He waited for Katara's nod, then offered a quick smile before returning his attention to Sokka and Iroh.

The three men trooped out of the room, Sokka chattering excitedly the entire time. Iroh offered a sympathetic look before closing the door behind them.

Katara waited until she was certain they were gone before exploding. "He's taking Sokka but not _me_???"

Suki moved around to the other side of the table and sat next to her sister-in-law, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I know it's hard, but I he just wants to keep you safe."

"Great, just great. So he'd rather I was here fretting and worrying with nothing useful to do. It's just like when I was a child, and the men would hunt and the women would be left alone to worry about which one wouldn't come home this time." Katara's eyes shone with anger.

"Hey, how do you think I feel?" Suki asked. "No one would even consider asking me to come along, not like this." She indicated her belly. The bump seemed more noticeable today. "I'm a warrior, but there's literally nothing I can do right now except stay here and protect my baby. You know I'll worry about Sokka, but frankly I feel better that he's going along. The three of them work well together, you know that."

"I know how well we _all_ work together," Katara muttered sourly.

"Yes, but this time Zuko had to make the decision by himself, and we have to accept that decision," Suki replied sharply. "You and I both know he just wants to protect the woman he loves. I hope you're not going to make us all miserable just because you feel left out. Otherwise, don't bother coming by to visit."

Katara was taken aback by Suki's tone, but after a moment's consideration she conceded the points. "I promise if I'm being miserable I won't spread it around," she finally said. "You're right, I do feel left out. And after we're betrothed, we're going to have a little talk about what part I play in running things around here."

Suki laughed. "That's more like it. Are you going to talk to him about it before he leaves?"

"I'm going to try," Katara replied. "Lady Ursa said I shouldn't wait, but I'm not sure it's the right time.

"Make it the right time," Suki advised. "I think Lady Ursa is right. Don't put it off."

"I'll think about it," was the best Katara could promise. She helped Suki to her feet and they left the room together, arms entwined.


	17. Friends, Family, Frustration

**oOo**

Katara spent the remainder of the day with Suki, keeping her company and helping her organize Sokka's clothes from the heap he'd left them in before eagerly heading back to strategy sessions with Zuko and Iroh. "He considers this 'getting ready,'" was Suki's wry comment as she and Katara carefully folded the messy pile, setting aside his sword and the helmet he'd carefully fashioned and never needed. Until now.

Those two items brought it home to both women that their men were going off to war without them. Suki at least could take comfort in the fact that she was protecting her unborn child, while Katara kept her own frustrations carefully under wraps.

When it was almost time for the dinner gong, she and Suki parted ways, both agreeing to dress up in their finest clothes to show the men-folk they weren't holding any grudges. And, as Suki pointed out with a grin, to show them what exactly they would be missing. She flipped through her clothes in agitation, mumbling complaints about things not fitting her properly any more while Katara picked up the discarded dresses and laid them neatly on the bed. Then she helped Suki dress in the outfit that did her most justice, showing off her graceful arms and camouflaging her growing belly just enough so that it didn't ruin the effect. After that she hastened to the palace proper to get herself ready.

Once again she used Zulina's services in picking out just the right outfit, and once again she settled on a gown in Fire Nation colors. Last time she just wanted to look her best; this time, she meant to give Zuko a hint that she was ready to stand at his side. Then, after dinner was over and they had time to be alone together, she would suggest that he might want to offer her the betrothal ring again. And after that? She blushed to think about it, but was determined to make this a night he would remember, no matter how long they were separated.

The gong sounded just as she slid a pair of golden arm-rings up past her elbows, to rest comfortably against her upper arms. She decided against the wrist-danglers this time, then regarded her efforts in the mirror while Zulina looked on approvingly.

Her hair was pulled back from her face, but left to flow gently down her back. It reached nearly to her hips now, as thick and lush as it had always been. A pain to brush, true, but tonight, with Zulina's aid, it practically glowed. The gown she'd selected was a blend of Fire Nation reds and oranges, with a black underskirt and a pair of dainty gold sandals with low wedge heels that were the most impractical items of apparel she'd ever owned. But they worked perfectly with the dress and the simple gold arm-bands. Once again her arms and shoulders were bare, but this time she'd allowed Zulina to adjust the neckline a bit lower than she usually wore it. She felt another blush creeping over her cheeks as she glanced down at her décolletage, almost as unfamiliar with seeing that part of her body as everybody else in the world.

But not tonight; tonight was special, tonight she felt reckless with anticipation of what would come after dinner, and so she didn't care if anyone had anything critical to say about her clothing. And if Sokka even opened his mouth to object to his little sister showing herself off that way, she'd deck him. Knowing Suki, she'd help.

The gong sounded a second time, and Katara grinned as she bade Zulina a good night. The gong never sounded twice in so short a period of time unless Zuko was impatient to eat. The grin faded as she hurried down the corridor; what if the gong were sounding twice, not because Zuko wanted her to hurry up, but because of something else? What if he couldn't eat with them, what if something had happened and he had to leave right away?

Plagued by such thoughts, she dashed down the hall, startling the few people she passed, not even pretending to slow down until she reached the corridor leading to the dining room. Zuko's banner was posted, and she felt her racing heart slow a bit in relief. She slowed to a decorous walk, glad her physical training kept her from being out of breath after so short a run, patted her hair back into place, and entered the room.

Everyone was there: Aang, Iroh, Ursa, Suki, Sokka, Zuko, and... "Toph!" Katara squealed, forgetting decorum in seeing another familiar face. She dashed around the table to give her young friend a hug.

"Hey there, Sweet Cheeks," Toph replied, hugging her back, then shoving her away and straightening her tunic ostentatiously. "Careful, you're wrinkling the clothes."

"At least they're fairly clean," Katara shot back, eliciting a laugh from the Earth Bender. "When did you get here?"

"A little while ago. Zuko and Sokka were just filling me in on their little rebellion problem. Sounds like they could use an Earth Bender to help out, so I guess I came just in the nick of time." She grinned; of all of the group, she enjoyed combat the most. She plopped back down on her cushion while Katara tried to process the fact that apparently Toph was going on this mission as well. She and Zuko would _definitely_ have to have a talk once they were betrothed. "Sit down, will you? Doom-and-gloom over there wouldn't eat until you got here. What's worse, he wouldn't let _us_ eat." She mock-glared at Zuko, who ignored her, offering Katara his hand and helping her to her own cushion.

Sokka remained ominously silent, and Katara could feel his stare burning into the back of her neck as she turned to offer Zuko a quick kiss. She ignored her brother, knowing that sooner or later the explosion would come, but also knowing exactly how she would handle it. She always kept a pot of water nearby for just such an emergency.

Suki tugged on Sokka's shoulder, whispering something into his ear as she, too, glanced at Katara. She kept pointing insistently at his dish, and finally he gave in to his wife's obvious demands that he stop glaring and start eating.

Even with her brother's disapproval of her clothing and his equally obvious desire to say something to her about it, Katara noticed that Ursa only appeared to be eating, that Toph and Aang were chattering away like the best friends they were, and that Iroh and Zuko both were doing their best to hide their true feelings under a mask of cordiality. Iroh chatted with Ursa, but his gaze kept straying to Zuko, who in turn kept looking over at his uncle even when talking to Katara. She wondered if she should have even bothered with the low-cut top when he leaned over and whispered in her ear: "If that's for me, I approve, even if Sokka looks like he's about to explode."

"I wouldn't have done it for anyone else," she murmured back. "I was hoping you'd like it."

Zuko held her hand under the table's edge, idly running his fingers back and forth along hers, sending a shiver up her spine she did her best to conceal. She smiled at him, almost losing herself in his return smile, the way his amber eyes seemed almost to glow when he looked at her, half-forgetting there was anyone else in the room until the sudden clatter of a bowl dropping to the table jerked her back to reality.

"So, Zuko," Sokka said in a loud, falsely hearty voice, "we're leaving first thing in the morning, right? So we should probably get a good night's sleep." He stretched and yawned in an exaggerated manner.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess we should," Zuko replied. His hand tightened on Katara's, then reluctantly released her as he rose to his feet. "Sokka's right, we need to get as much rest as possible before we leave." He offered Katara an apologetic glance, and she hoped her face was as serene as she desperately wanted it to appear. She merely nodded, darting a quick glare at her brother before also coming to her feet.

"I'll walk you to your rooms," she offered, tucking her arm through his. Her plans weren't going to be completely ruined; even if she couldn't get Zuko to stay with her tonight, she was still determined to let him know she was ready to become his wife.

"Uh, actually, we're sleeping on the airship," Zuko replied guiltily. He indicated Sokka, who was grinning wickedly, and his uncle, who had also come unwillingly to his feet. Aang had also risen and stood quietly, not missing any of the by-play.

Toph settled back deliberately onto her cushion. "Not me. I need to keep my feet on the ground until we actually get airborne. But don't worry, I'll probably be up before the rest of you anyway." She looked at Aang. "Right, Twinkle-Toes? You know I'm a real morning person."

Aang rolled his eyes and grinned. "Right. A morning person. You. Remember the time..."

"Never mind that, no time for reminiscing," Toph interrupted him hastily. "I'll camp out near the airships just in case." She stuffed one last spoonful of rice into her mouth and rose to her feet, still chewing. "I'll just get my things and meet you guys outside." She headed out the door, whistling.

Zuko turned back to Katara. "I'll walk you to your room, and you as well, Mother," he added as he noticed that Ursa and Suki appeared to be joining the general exodus from the dining room. "Sokka, don't you want to walk your wife home?" He looked pointedly at Suki's mid-section.

Sokka looked torn between trying to keep Zuko and Katara apart and taking care of his pregnant wife. She decided things for him by taking his arm firmly and thanking Zuko for dinner, wishing him luck as she marched her reluctant spouse out of the room. "Come on, Sokka, you know you need to see if you forgot anything before you go to the airship." She flashed a sympathetic glance over her shoulder, and Katara smiled wanly in return. At least Ursa would have an idea of what she wanted to accomplish tonight, and was bound to insist that she be taken to her rooms first.

Fortunately Iroh stepped in, offering his arm to his former sister-in-law with a respectful bow. "Please, allow me to accompany you. I need to stop in the kitchens and get a few more teas before we leave anyway."

Ursa smiled her thanks at him, everyone noticing how tired she looked. A troubled frown flashed across Zuko's face, and he looked as if he were going to say something, but she shook her head. "I'm fine, Zuko, please don't worry about me. Send messages when you can, so we at least have an idea of how things are faring, and how long this will take."

"Not long at all, if I have anything to say about it," he replied grimly, then loped over to give his mother a kiss good-bye. "I promise to send messages whenever I'm able." He watched as she and Iroh left the room, noting with alarm the way she leaned heavily against his uncle's arm.

"I know, I'm worried about her too," Katara offered when he turned his attention back to her. "When you return, we'll try to convince her to allow the Court Physicians to examine her again. But I'm sure it's just fatigue."

"No you're not, but thanks for saying so," Zuko replied. He tucked her hand into his elbow and left the room with her. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you about the change in plans, but we were in meetings all day; I only got to the dining room a few minutes before you did."

"Then why the second gong?" Katara teased him as they strolled along, each determined to make the moment last as long as possible.

"Actually, that was Sokka," he confessed. "He didn't think everyone was moving fast enough."

"Did he even notice how Suki was dressed? We worked really hard on her clothes for tonight."

"Oh, he noticed all right." Zuko grinned at the memory. "His jaw just about dropped off his face; I guess since she's been pregnant her clothes have tended to be a lot more...practical. At least, that's what he stammered out when he was finally able to talk again."

"That's my brother, the king of tact," Katara giggled.

"I noticed that Suki wasn't the only one to dress up," Zuko continued after a moment. He glanced down appreciatively at Katara. "You're definitely not a kid any more."

"And neither are you, Fire Lord," she replied lightly. Then she took a deep breath and stopped him. He looked down at her, puzzled. "Zuko," she began, "I know I've made you wait for a decision for a long time now..."

Before she could continue, the sound of shouting interrupted them. A courtier raced down the hallway, coming to a panting stop and bowing as he reached them. "Fire Lord! Come quickly, it's your mother!"


	18. Blood Will Out

**oOo**

Zuko and Katara raced into Ursa's chambers. The Fire Lady had collapsed just at the entrance, saved from falling by Iroh's sturdy arms. "He carried her into the room, Fire Lord," one of his mother's servants stammered as Zuko hurried to his mother's bedside. "Then he called for the Court Physicians and kept watch over her until just before you arrived. He said he had business to attend to and left only when he was assured that you were on your way." The girl looked terrified, and Katara would have offered her a sympathetic smile and thanks if she wasn't so focused on Zuko's mother.

She lay on her bed, her breathing shallow, her skin waxy, shining with a fine sheen of perspiration. Her hands gave an occasional twitch, the only movement besides the slow rise and fall of her chest.

"Mother?" Zuko whispered, putting a hand to her forehead, then snatching it back immediately. "Cool cloths for her head, immediately!" he snapped at the nearest servant, who bowed and hurried out of the room.

"Let me," Katara said, relieved to be able to help. Her Healing was useless against illness, but she could at least help bring down Ursa's fever. She took a small cloth from Ursa's bedside table, one she assumed was meant for the aftermath of a sneeze but looked unused, then doused it in water from a pitcher that sat next to a small earthenware cup on the same table. She concentrated on cooling the water down till the cloth was almost frozen, then handed it to Zuko just as the servant hurried back into the room with a small pan of water and a washing cloth in her hand. Katara took the items from the woman and placed them on the table, holding them ready for when Zuko wanted to trade out the flimsier cloth he now held to his mother's forehead.

He was speaking to her in a low voice, his brow creased with worry at her unresponsivness. There was a bustle at the door at the Chief Physician came in, trailed by as many of the other Court Physicians as the servants had been able to round up, about a half-dozen in all. Katara stepped aside to give them room, but Zuko refused to budge, watching narrowly as the Chief Physician examined Ursa, peering into her eyes and listening to her heart beat by placing an ear against her chest.

"We must bring in more delicate instruments, my Lord," he pronounced, turning to Zuko. "I would have her moved to the infirmary but I believe that she is in too much danger even for that small a move."

"What's wrong with her?" Zuko demanded, his lips white with fear masquerading as anger. "What kind of illness does she have?"

"I hesitate to say without a more complete examination," the Chief Physician replied. Obviously stalling, Katara thought.

Apparently Zuko thought so, too. "Don't give me that," he snapped. "I can tell by your face that you have an idea of what it is. Tell me."

The older man hesitated a moment longer, then leaned forward so only Zuko and Katara could hear him. "Poison, my Lord. She shows all the symptoms of arynaesic poisoning. I'm sorry."

Katara and Zuko traded stunned glances, Katara shaking her head once as if in denial. Her Bending and healing abilities definitely couldn't help if that was true. Not even Blood Bending...or could it? "Chief Physician, perhaps you've heard of an ability I have..."

He listened attentively, frowning into the distance as he pondered the idea. Zuko, meantime, sent the other Court Physicians scurrying for the necessary medical equipment, then returned to his mother's side, gently bathing her forehead in the second cloth Katara had prepared. "Send the servants away, my Lord, if you please," Urdai finally murmured to Zuko. "If the Lady Katara can do as she says, there is perhaps a way she can help slow the poison until we can prepare the antidote."

"Get out, all of you," Zuko barked. "I will call you when my mother needs you again." The gaggle of women left the room reluctantly, whether out of devotion to the Lady Ursa or vulgar curiosity he neither knew nor cared. Once they were all gone, he turned back to the Chief Physician. "You have all the necessary ingredients?" Arynaesic poison and its cure were both difficult to procure, as a major component of both came from a plant cultivated in only a few locations...all of them, Zuko realized with dawning fury, to the north. The center of the brewing rebellion.

"We keep the ingredients for antidotes to all known poisons available at all times," the Chief Physician assured him, stroking his long white mustache. "Arynaesic poisoning is rare, as you know, but not unheard of."

"I want those women questioned," Zuko said in a cold voice. He turned to Katara. "I have to take care of that myself; however this poison was administered, it couldn't have been at the dinner tonight since she ate from the same dishes as the rest of us. So it had to be one of them."

"Not necessarily," the Chief Physician disagreed. "Oh, by all means, have them questioned, but it is just as likely that someone painted her dish with the poison and she absorbed it that way. In fact, by her symptoms and state of collapse, I believe she must have absorbed the poison slowly, over time. She has refused to see myself or any of my colleagues since before you were taken from us six months ago; has there been any change in her condition, anything that you noticed?"

Zuko strode to the door before answering, opening it and demanding that one of the guards posted outside round up all his mother's waiting women and servants and bring them to the Throne Room for questioning. He also ordered a second guard to go to the kitchens and bring back all the dishes from the dinner that evening, all the serving bowls and eating utensils, everything. Nothing was to be washed or discarded until they were examined thoroughly.

"They have likely already begun to clean up, my Lord," the guard suggested.

"Then stop them," Zuko snapped. "Now." The man bowed and hurried down the hall after his compatriot, who had less distance to cover as Ursa's women were all huddled at the end of the corridor, not yet ready to disperse to their own quarters.

Katara was already answering the question by the time Zuko returned. "She's been tired a lot lately, over the last couple of weeks at least, and hasn't been eating very well."

"Has she complained of pains in her joints, muscle aches, anything of that nature?"

"Not that she ever mentioned to me," Katara replied, shaking her head.

"Me either, but I did notice her rubbing her shoulders and wrists sometimes, then stopping when she saw me," Zuko said. "I should have noticed more," he said, turning his anger and frustration onto himself. "How could I have missed it?"

"Because the assassin was subtle, giving her just enough to make it seem like illness and fatigue rather than anything more threatening," was the Court Physician's prompt reply. "Arynaesic poison can easily be misdiagnosed by those unfamiliar with its effects. Unfortunately, I have been witness to more than one attempt at murder by such means, including one against your uncle when he was much younger."

That was news to both Katara and Zuko, who traded alarmed looks. "Did they ever find out who did it?" Zuko demanded.

The Chief Physician shook his head. "Your father launched a full inquiry, but found nothing. The attempt was never duplicated, nor was it followed up by any other form of attack, no witnesses or suspects were ever found, and so the investigation had to be dropped."

"My Lord." The door had opened, revealing the first of Zuko's guards. "The ladies have been retained. Would you like to question them now?"

Zuko glanced over at the Chief Physician. "Your mother is safe for at least a few hours. I wish to confirm that I am correct in this matter before administering the antidote, or I may do more harm than good. And I require the Lady Katara's assistance, as I mentioned before. Her Blood Bending my help."

"Very well." Zuko rose to his feet, but not before turning his intense gaze on Katara. "Keep her safe." There was a pleading tone in his voice, only marginally covered by the authoritative manner in which he spoke the words.

"With my life," Katara vowed. The Lady Ursa had been nothing but kind and encouraging to her, and she would repay her for that ten times over if she could.

Zuko nodded and strode out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him. There were still four other guards standing there, and he ordered them to allow no one but himself, the Court Physicians, and his Uncle Iroh to enter.

"Now, my lady, let us see if we can put those Blood Bending skills to use," the Chief Physician said as soon as Zuko was gone. He directed Katara to place the fingers of one hand on the Lady Ursa's wrist, the other gently pressed to her carotid artery. "We must slow the flow of blood to her heart, but not stop it. Can you do that?"

Katara gritted her teeth and nodded before looking down at the unconscious woman, forcing her mind to clear itself of everything but the need to help her. She closed her eyes and concentrated, listening in the silence of the room for the sound of the pulse she felt beating rapidly against her fingers. Too rapidly; at this rate, the poison would invade her entire system and kill her. "I'm not sure I can do this," she muttered uncertainly.

"You must try." There was a sudden sound outside, and the door burst open again, this time admitting the Court Physicians with armfuls of equipment, scrolls, and other paraphernalia Katara, who's eyes had snapped open at the sound, couldn't identify.

"Concentrate," the Chief Physician murmured. "Focus only on the Lady Ursa. I and my fellow doctors will take care of the rest."

Katara obediently closed her eyes again and concentrated fiercely on Ursa. "Come on, you know you want to live long enough to see me marry Zuko," she murmured. "Let's see if we can do something to slow that pulse." She was terrified of making a mistake, of doing something wrong, and equally terrified that she would have no effect at all; this was a much more subtle application of Blood Bending, one she hadn't tried before. But she would try it now, for Ursa's sake, and Zuko's.

The noises in the room, made by the group of Court Physicians setting up their equipment and discussing treatment in low tones, faded into nothingness. All Katara could hear was the double thump of a heartbeat; her own, she thought at first, then noticed the slight dissonance between the sound and the feel of her heart. _Success!_ Now that she'd separated the two, she concentrated on slowing the movement of blood toward the heartbeat she heard, the one beneath her fingers, ever so slightly. She thought it faltered for a moment, then continued as rapidly as before. Katara bit her lip in frustration, then forced the tension from her mind.

This time, when the pulse slowed, it didn't speed back up again, nor did it continue slowing, as Katara feared it might. Instead it steadied to a slightly lower rate than her own, much slower than it had been, and she fancied she could feel the poison as well, fighting her. _Not this time,_ she told it fiercely. _You don't win this time. I do._

The Chief Physician stepped to her side, taking Ursa's free hand in his to check her pulse himself. His eyebrows rose as he felt the obvious difference, and he bestowed a respectful glance on Katara that she completely missed, her eyes still closed and her lips moving silently in what he took to be a prayer of some sort.

"It is definitely arynaesic poisoning," was his grim prognosis a few minutes later. "Have you prepared the antidote?"

"Physician Iniharu is finalizing the antidote even as we speak," one of the younger Physicians said in a hushed tone. "He should be here momentarily."

"Only a few more minutes, Lady Katara," the Chief Physician told her. She gave no appearance of hearing him, her lips still moving, her hands steady on their positions. He continued to monitor Ursa's pulse himself, as well as her other symptoms. The fever showed no signs of abating, but neither did it increase as it would have if the poison were taking its natural course. Her breathing was labored, but there was no coughing, no gasping for air such as he would have expected by now, and his respect for the young Water Bender before him grew.

A tense five minutes later, the door burst open and Physician Iniharu flew into the room. He was young and excitable, but the best pharmacologist in the group, one of the best the Chief Physician had ever seen. Dark hair flapping in his self-created breeze, he rushed up to his superior and thrust the small vial into the older man's hands. "Here it is, Chief Physician!" he said triumphantly.

"Well done, Physician Iniharu," the other man said mildly. He turned to Katara, not sure if he should inject the antidote first or allow the Water Bender to release her hold on the Lady Ursa's blood until afterwards. He decided to wait; delicately withdrawing the contents of the vial with a hollow-tubed needle, he palpated Ursa's arm until a blood vessel stood out clearly, then deftly depressed the double handles of the oversized plunger until the entire contents were gone. Then he turned to Katara, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder and giving her a shake. "My Lady. It is time to allow her blood to follow its own course."

Katara's eyes snapped open and she nodded, then slowly removed her fingers from Ursa's neck and wrist. They waited, hardly breathing, no one speaking, until Ursa's breathing suddenly eased. Her color slowly returned to normal, and her hands became still, relaxed. They waited longer, to make sure that the fever broke. When it finally did, hours later, Katara could have wept with relief. A few hours after that, when Ursa's eyelids fluttered open and she looked around her in confusion, Katara did weep. "Thank the gods you're all right!"

"What happened?" Ursa's voice was weak, but the sound of it brought a smile to Katara's face through the tears. "Chief Physician Urdai, is that you?"

He bowed. "It is, my Lady. And may I respectfully request that you stop putting off your visits to the Infirmary in the future, so we may avoid such troubles as you've suffered through tonight?"

"Tell me." She had started to raise her head from the pillow, then gave up and leaned back with a sigh. "But get rid of that gaggle of hangers-on first," she added irritably. "I don't care what happened, I'm not some medical experiment."

"You heard the Lady, you may go. All but you, Physician Iniharu," Urdai added. "I wish to explain to the Lady Ursa exactly how your quick work saved her life. And yours, too, Katara," he added nodding at her. "The Lady Katara helped save your life as well."

He explained everything while Ursa listened with a frown of concentration. She flashed Katara a weary smile when he explained her part in the process, and offered formal thanks to Physician Iniharu, who bowed and mumbled his appreciation of her thanks, and would no doubt have gone on doing so, flustered and embarrassed, had the Chief Physician not taken pity on him and dismissed him to join the others. "But stand ready; this may not be the end of it," he warned the younger man, who gave a determined nod in acknowledgment before bowing his way out of the room.

He nearly bumped into Iroh, who was walking in at the same time, and it was almost comical to see the two men bowing and apologizing to each other, although Iroh's mind was clearly on the room's regular occupant. "You are awake, that is good!" he exclaimed, hurrying to her side and taking her hand in his. He bowed over it, then sat on the edge of the bed, not letting the hand go. Nor did Ursa seem to object, which Katara raised an eyebrow to but judiciously decided against commenting on.

Chief Physician Urdai politely ignored the hand-holding as well, asking formally if the Lady Ursa had any objections to his looking in on her for the rest of the night...and the next few days as well. "Oh, any objections I make will doubtlessly be overruled by these two," she said with a smile. A stronger one this time, just as her voice also sounded stronger. "So I will make none."

He bowed. "Then I will take my leave for now, and return in a few hours." He hesitated, looking over at Katara and Iroh. "I believe the Fire Lord would prefer that his mother not be left alone tonight."

"Neither one of us is going anywhere, at least not till Zuko gets back," Katara said firmly. "We'll see you when you come back." He bowed again, then was gone, long robes whispering against the cool tile floor.

"Well, Iroh, what did you find out?" Katara gaped at the Lady Ursa, who asked the question so complacently, and Iroh, whose face was an inscrutable mask. "Come now, I know you found something out, or you wouldn't have returned. And you went to find something else in the first place, or you never would have left me at all, am I right?"

He nodded, a slight grin on his face. "Astute as always, my Lady Ursa." Something about the way he said that sent a shiver down Katara's spine, "the good kind of shiver" she would later describe it to Zuko. He and Ursa exchanged warm looks, and Katara suddenly felt like an intruder. Then the moment passed, and Iroh told them what he'd found out.

"Your ladies were not involved," he announced. "Zuko will question them even if I tell him that, so I will leave him to it. But he will find that your dinner plate was coated with a thin film of arynaesic poison, not only at this meal but at every meal. It was simple enough to do, as you always took the seat to Zuko's left."

"You have a confession already?" Ursa asked. Katara admired her presence of mind, her calm demeanor even under these circumstances. If she'd been the one waking up to find out she'd been poisoned, she knew she'd completely lose it. This was true poise, and she resolved to emulate it as much as possible in the future.

Iroh shook his head in response to Ursa's question. "No. But I have a culprit. Unfortunately, he is now dead." He raised a hand to stop the next questions both Katara and Ursa seemed about to ask. "I did not kill him; he took his own life shortly after the guards confiscated the dishes from dinner. They hadn't been washed yet, and he knew he would be the first suspect as he was the one who set the table at night. The only question remaining is, who paid him or threatened him into doing this?"

"Because it is unlikely he was acting on his own," Ursa gravely agreed. The shiver that passed over Katara's spine this time was definitely not the good kind.

"You must try to rest now," Iroh urged. "We have much to discuss when Zuko returns."

"Don't tell me you're delaying your journey to the north because of me!" Ursa roused herself from the pillow, attaining a half-sitting position while Katara hastened to support her shoulders. "It's obvious the rebels are behind this, and this may be exactly the reaction they hope for!"

"When Zuko returns, we will discuss it," Iroh said soothingly. Katara helped Ursa ease back onto the pillow, the sudden burst of temper having taken its toll as the older woman's face regained a portion of its former pallor. "Right now, you must rest. All too soon the Chief Physician will return to poke and prod you and ask you if you were sleeping well."

"Typical," Ursa murmured, but whether she meant Iroh's gentle attempt at humor, or the prophesied actions of the Chief Physician upon his return, was destined to remain unknown. She quickly drifted into sleep, and Katara left the room, giving Iroh a moment alone with the Fire Lady. He still held her hand in both of his, and seemed barely to hear Katara as she murmured an excuse about telling Zuko his mother had been saved.


	19. Bad Timing

**oOo**

Katara found Zuko still in the throne room, having only just dismissed his mother's servants and allowing them to return to their own quarters…with guards "escorting" them all the way. She told him what his uncle had discovered, and he issued new orders for the dead man to be thoroughly investigated and his body "taken care of." Somehow Katara didn't think that meant a formal burial in the best part of the royal cemetery, but she didn't ask. However Zuko wanted to treat the body of his mother's almost-murderer wasn't one of those things she felt free to argue with him about.

"We should go see how your mother's doing," was all she did say after the messenger bowed and left them alone in the throne room. Well, nearly alone; all of Zuko's bodyguards, usually so discreet as to be unnoticed, were hovering near enough to jump in if necessary but far enough away for the two of them to speak in relative privacy.

Zuko merely nodded, then rose from where he sat slumped on the lower step of the dais that held the throne. The throne he'd only ever sat in once, at his coronation, while receiving loyalty oaths from everyone of importance in the Fire Nation. Including, no doubt, those currently stirring up trouble against him. He held out his hand wordlessly, and she took it in hers, walking close by his side as they returned to his mother's room.

Ursa was sleeping, Iroh sitting comfortably at her side. He was scowling over a scroll when they tip-toed into the room, but put it aside and lumbered to his feet to join them near the door. "She's been sleeping only a few minutes. A messenger just brought me this." He handed the scroll to Zuko, watching closely as his nephew read it.

Zuko's scowl was even fiercer than the one Iroh still sported. "So, they think to threaten me into postponing our trip. Unwise." He clamped his lips shut, a tiny curl of smoke coming from the scroll. Katara grabbed it away before he burned it completely to ashes, unaware that she was saving it from the very fate that had befallen her own kidnap message from Azula. She quickly scanned the document, giving Zuko a quick glance to be sure he didn't mind.

He made no move to stop her as she gasped in outrage at the insolent tone of the message: _"Your mother will not be the only victim if you think to invade the northern territories. Think twice before making any rash moves. We will be in contact if you remain at the capital. We make no guarantees otherwise."_

"We leave immediately." Katara almost didn't recognize the cold, hard voice as belonging to Zuko. She turned, wide-eyed, to stare at him as Iroh nodded and left the room without another word. Zuko spared a single moment to walk to his mother's bedside and kiss her gently on the forehead, then he too left the room, grasping Katara's hand in his and shutting the door silently behind them. "Allow only the Court Physicians, the Lady Katara and her companion, the Lady Anara, into this room until I return," he instructed the guards standing on either side of the door. Both men saluted. "Be sure and tell the men who relieve you as well." Another salute, then Zuko once again took Katara's hand and strode determinedly down the hall.

"Zuko, I might need to use that hand again some day," she said after a moment. His grip loosened, and she saw a reluctant grin cross his lips. Once they turned the corner, leaving the guards and his personal bodyguards momentarily out of sight, he took her in his arms and kissed her fervently. Katara resisted at first, not certain of Zuko's mood, then gave in, returning the kiss with equal passion. She heard the first of the bodyguards come around the corner, then abruptly stop and whisper something to his compatriots before backing himself up until he was once again out of sight.

They broke the kiss after a long moment, both panting slightly, before Zuko spoke. "Katara, I know you wanted to come with me on this mission, and you know the real reason I didn't want you to come was because I wanted you to be safe." She nodded. "If you'd kept after me, eventually you would have gotten your way, you know that too, don't you?"

"Well, you seemed like you'd made up your mind," she murmured non-committally.

Zuko shook her by the shoulders. "Katara! This is no time to play games!" he snapped. "If you were planning on sneaking out after us, I want you to give me your word that you'll stay right here. I need someone I can trust to take care of my mother, and find out who the traitors are. Or at least, who they're influencing and threatening," he clarified. "I need you to be that person. Will you promise me?"

"Of course," Katara replied fiercely. "I would never abandon your mother at a time like this, you know that! Besides," she added with her usual practicality, "I doubt if I could get someone to fly me to the battlefield to join you anyway."

That made him laugh, easing the grim lines that had etched themselves between his eyebrows, at lest for a moment. "Thank you." He leaned down to kiss her again, holding both her hands in his, then touched his forehead against hers. "I'll miss you, but I'll be easier in my mind knowing that you're watching over her."

_Tell him now._ "Zuko," Katara began, then stopped as Sokka rushed up to them. Of course. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he was deliberately ruining things for her.

"Zuko, they said we're getting ready to go now, what's up with that? I thought we were going in the morning, and...uh oh, I know that look," Sokka said. "What happened?"

He looked shocked as Zuko told him, shaking his head in disbelief. "No way! This is more than just a little uprising if they're making threats like that." He turned to his sister. "Make sure you and Suki double check your food while we're gone. Hey," he turned back to Zuko. "Don't you have royal tasters or something?"

"Of course we do," Zuko replied irritably. "It was the dish that was poisoned, not the food. The culprit is dead and extra precautions will be taken until we catch whoever put him up to it. But you're right, we are leaving right away. I hope you said your good-byes, because if you're not ready by the time I get on board, you'll be left behind."

Sokka blew an exaggerated sigh. "Let me guess, you're headed there right now."

Zuko nodded. "I was just saying good-bye to your sister."

It was Katara's turn to sigh, although she kept it silent. "Good-bye. I promise to keep your mother safe. You just make sure you do the same for yourself." She spared a glance for her brother. "Both of you. All of you," she clarified. "Tell Aang and Toph I'm sorry I couldn't see them off, but I'd better get back to the Lady Ursa's room so I can keep an eye on her for the rest of the night." So much for her chance to tell Zuko she was ready to accept the betrothal ring; she'd just have to make sure and corner him as soon as he returned, victorious or not.

"Well, I already said good-bye to Suki just in case it wasn't just some kind of mix up," Sokka said as he hugged Katara. "Keep yourself safe, little sister. Watch what you eat."

"I will." She hugged him back, then turned uncertainly to Zuko. He embraced her as well, whispering his good-byes into her ear and giving her one last, tender kiss before reluctantly heading down the hall after Sokka. She watched them until they turned a corner, then waited as Zuko's bodyguards clattered past her, before returning to Ursa's bedside.


	20. Contemplation

**oOo**

Katara sat up the entire night, not resting, unable to sleep. Too many things had happened too quickly, and there was the Lady Ursa to consider. Yes, her trusted companion, the Lady Anara, was also there, but Katara was too keyed up to even try to sleep, no matter how much Anara urged her to do so.

In the last hours of the night, Katara's thoughts turned over and over the possibilities of who could be responsible for this outrage. Anara she dismissed out of hand; the older woman had shared the hardships of Ursa's exile for many years, and nothing would cause her to betray her friend. Even threats would be of no use, of that both Katara and Zuko were sure. But who, then? Who else might be coerced or bribed or threatened into causing harm to those Zuko loved and trusted?

Katara bit her fingernails down to the quick, worrying at them as she worried at the problem she'd been handed. Of course she knew that Zuko didn't really expect her to single-handedly discover who was behind all this, but he also knew she would do her best to find out what she could. Even a single clue might lead to the answer; all she had to do was find it.

"I wish Uncle had stayed," she muttered to herself at one point as she paced the length of the room and back again. Anara was drowsing in the oversized chair next to Ursa's bed, waiting for Chief Physician Urdai to make his next appearance. It was the coolest hours of the night, just before dawn, the most comfortable time to sleep, but Katara hardly noticed. She truly did wish Uncle Iroh had stayed, if only because this sort of political puzzle was more his area of expertise.

"Think, Katara," she murmured quietly as her steps brought her closer to the dozing women. "Obviously we know why they're doing it, the only question is who. That ought to be easy, right? Just answering one little question." She shook her head and hugged herself tightly as she neared the window, finally stopping to stare out over the courtyard and the mountains far in the distance. She closed her eyes and leaned her hands on the wide sill, allowing the cool night breeze to blow against her face, lifting her hair the slightest bit and fluttering her skirts. She sighed. Not quite the arctic winds she'd grown up with, but comforting nonetheless.

**Elsewhere: The Eve of Battle**

Aang lifted his face to the sky, eyes closed, and just enjoyed the feeling of the cool breeze against his skin. It was so hot in the fire nation, but now that he'd begun to master Fire Bending he noticed he didn't feel the heat as much as he used to. Certainly not as much as Sokka and Katara did...a frown formed on his lips and between his eyes, and he didn't fight it. Deciding not to let Katara and Zuko's relationship get in the way of their friendship didn't mean he didn't still feel hurt and rejected at times.

He was sitting on top of the airship, just past the hatch he'd used to find this unoccupied space. Close enough to hear if anyone wanted him, but far enough away to enjoy the illusion of solitude not normally found on a crowded, tense voyage such as the one they were currently embarked on.

"What are you doing up here, Twinkle Toes?"

Aang blew a noisy sigh. Toph. Of course. Everyone else respected his desire for privacy, but not her. "Trying to have some private time," he said pointedly as she plopped down next to him. He'd been so absorbed in his thoughts he hadn't even heard her coming up behind him.

"You mean private time to brood," she corrected him smugly. "Get over it, that's my advice. What's done is done. And believe me, those two are done with anyone else but each other."

"Thanks, great, that's what I'll do," Aang bit out between clenched teeth. "Get over it." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that."

"Look, Aang, I know it isn't easy," Toph began, only to be interrupted by a bitter bark of laughter.

"What would you know about it?" The bitterness spilled out. "Do you know what it's like, watching someone you love fall in love with someone else? She never looked at me the way she looks at him, did you know that? Not once. And we were together for two years."

"And during those two years, you both changed," Toph replied with a shrug. "We've all changed. Zuko's changed so many times he makes me dizzy," she added reflectively. "But don't talk to me about loving someone who doesn't love you back. I know all about that."

Aang stared at her in amazement. She was just visible in the starlight, a dark blur next to him, and he realized with a start that she was almost taller than him now, and much leaner than she had been when they first met. Well, leaner in certain places, more filled out in others. He blushed at the realization that he was thinking of Toph as a girl for the first time, and that realization reminded him of what she'd just told him. "Anyone I know?" he asked sympathetically.

The blur shrugged again. "What does it matter? He never knew how I felt, because before I could say anything it was pretty clear how he felt about someone else. And I don't go where I'm not wanted."

That elicited an amused snort, quickly stifled. Toph was being completely serious for once, no matter how casual she was trying to make the revelation seem. "I'm sorry," Aang said sincerely. "I didn't mean to make it all about me. No, that's not true; it was all about me. You're right, I was brooding. Self-pity is disgusting, but once in a while, I dunno." He shrugged. "Once in a while, it feels kinda...necessary."

"As long as you don't make it a habit." The teasing tone was back in Toph's voice, the one he was used to. Well, that one and the sarcasm she and Sokka seemed to revel in...

"Deal." He stuck out his hand, knowing that Toph could "see" the gesture through her feet better than he could in the dark, and was rewarded by the smack of her palm against his. "For the record, I'm really sorry I never thought about your feelings, or realized that you might be in love with someone. You just kind of never seemed to want to talk about anything like that before.

There was a moment of silence, during which her hand tightened on his before releasing it. "Like I said," she replied softly. "People change." Then she rose to her feet and headed arrow-straight for the open hatch and the ladder. Aang listened, but still couldn't hear her as she descended, leaving him once again to his thoughts.

But this time, they weren't just about himself.


	21. Strategy Session

**oOo**

In the early hours of the morning, they arrived at the borders of the northernmost Fire Nation territories, a series of islands like the rest, but more remote and slightly cooler in climate. "Why didn't we just take a regular navy ship, like your soldiers?" Sokka asked curiously as the pilot maneuvered the vessel close to a cliff to prepare it for anchoring.

"Because I'm the Fire Lord," Zuko replied, also staring out at the landing area the pilot had selected. "If I came over water instead of from the air, I'd be opening negotiations from a position of weakness."

"Negotiations!" Sokka exclaimed, turning to stare at Zuko in disbelief. "Aren't we here to stomp these guys into the ground?!"

That brought a brief smile to Zuko's lips. "Of course we are. But it's my duty to try and talk to the rebels first; I had to look it up to be sure, since it's been so long since anyone inside the Fire Nation has rebelled. But even with the threats they issued, the precedent is clear; I have to make a good faith effort to talk before any stomping takes place. And they have to honor a banner of truce." He gestured toward the roof the airship. "That's what we're flying now. We'll see who comes to talk."

"And if no one comes?"

Zuko shrugged. "Then the stomping begins."

Aang walked in, stretching and yawning, Toph following closely behind. Her ears perked up at Zuko's words. "Stomping? When? Who do I get to stomp?"

"No one. Not yet, anyway," Sokka muttered, sounding disgruntled but at the same time just a little bit relieved. The last time he'd been involved in direct warfare he'd almost died, as had Toph and Suki, and his leg still ached sometimes from the break he'd gotten falling from one airship to another. "Zuko has to try and _negotiate_ first."

"A sound strategy." That was Iroh, also crowding into the control room. The captain looked a little irritated, but wisely kept his opinion to himself as the pilot continued the delicate process of bringing them in for a landing. "Come, let us adjourn to the war room. Breakfast is waiting."

Sokka didn't have to be told twice; he was off like a shot, nearly bowling Toph and Aang over in his enthusiasm. "Come on, you two," he yelled over his shoulder as Aang steadied Toph, who had staggered onto one foot and was pin-wheeling her arms in trying to avoid Sokka's rushing form.

Toph shrugged out of Aang's gentle hold, pulling away so abruptly that he frowned in confusion. "I'm hungry too," was all she said as she walked after Sokka. Aang, Iroh and Zuko followed, leaving the captain rolling his eyes in relief at finally getting his space back the way he liked it: mostly empty.

"There's something you should know before we get started," Aang announced as they took seats around the large conference table. Sokka was already eating, and showed no signs of slowing down. "It's about the Earth Kingdom."

Zuko tensed, but kept his voice calm as he asked, "What is it?"

"The Earth Kingdom armies have been practicing 'maneuvers' near the Fire Nation borders for a couple of months now," Aang began, only to be interrupted by a less-calm Zuko.

"I know. I also know it's a test, not a prologue to an invasion, that isn't how they work. They want to let us know that if we try anything, they're ready."

"Well, yeah, sort of." Aang scratched his head. "The thing is, there's a couple of generals who don't feel the Earth Kingdom got back all the territory it ceded to the Fire Nation."

"It hasn't," Zuko agreed. "We're still negotiating; some of the Earth Kingdom lands have been owned by generations of Fire Nation families, and we're still sorting out the claims and trying to trace original ownership. A lot of records have been lost, some of them deliberately. And a lot of people who were 'relocated' haven't been found again."

"Well, I just thought you should know that there's a lot more grumbling about it since the last time I checked it out," Aang concluded. "I would have told you before we left, but things got a bit crazy, and it didn't seem to be a problem that needed looking into right away. But I didn't want to wait any longer, which is why I said something now." He looked glum.

So did Zuko, but he quickly shook it off. "You're right; we have other problems to deal with now. But thanks for the intelligence; my counselors and generals tend to minimize any of that kind of news." He deliberately avoided looking at the few generals and counselors seated across the table, but heard the uncomfortable shifting of feet and allowed himself a slight smile. "OK. To the business at hand. What are our options, how long do we have to wait for the truce flag to be honored before," the grin widened, "the stomping begins?"

That brought an answering grin from Toph and Sokka, but the general to whom the question was addressed remained somber. "Precedent is unclear, Fire Lord; in some cases it was hours, in others, days. And that was for the successful negotiations."

Toph slumped in her seat, tuning the rest of the discussion out. When it was time for fighting, she'd be ready, but strategy she usually left to the ones who loved that sort of thing. Including Sokka, who was leaning forward, elbows on the table, obviously taking in every word if his heart rate and utter stillness otherwise were anything to go by. Aang made occasional comments, but it was obvious to her that he was trying not to be the loudest voice in the room, even if he was what she considered the biggest presence. He was the Avatar, after all, not just the kid she'd trained in Earth Bending. He'd been bugging her to try and help him learn Metal Bending as well, and she decided to give the idea some thought after all this was over.

She wondered if her parents would mind if she brought him home for an extended visit while she conducted that training. She knew they still blamed him for "kidnapping" their precious, frail little flower two years ago, but she'd also pretty forcibly told them to get over it after the war ended. A few demonstrations of exactly how well their "frail flower" could take care of herself had come as a bit of a shock, but they'd needed to see for themselves exactly how well she could manage.

After that, things had settled down, with no talk of extra guards or other precautions to keep her "safe." She grinned at the memory of her father's shock as she metal-bent the bars of a cage holding a flock of small birds in her mother's garden; the birds had soared to freedom with chirps and cries she'd never heard them make before, and her mother had clapped in excitement at her daughter's accomplishment. "Little flower, you've grown so strong!" Another cry Toph hadn't heard before, and one that still brought a proud smile to her face whenever she remembered it.

"And that's where Toph comes in."

"Eh? What?" Startled, Toph brought her attention back to the present. She turned her head from side to side as the silence grew. "What did I miss?"

"Apparently you missed our discussion of how we're going to handle the negotiations," Zuko replied with exaggerated patience. "We want you on the ground, to let us know how many are coming, if they have cavalry, whatever. Can you handle that?"

Toph snorted. "Can I? Just watch me." She settled back in her chair, arms crossed across her chest. A chest she still wasn't used to, not in its current configuration. Her mother called it "blossoming", but she called it a real pain, having boobs. All the different things you had to wear, for example, just to keep the stupid things in place..._Stop the mental wandering, _she chided herself silently. _Pay attention, dummy._

"All right then, that's settled. Aang will escort you whenever you're ready. Scout out a few places, figure out which one'll work best, and we'll go forward from there."

"Great." Inwardly, Toph was glowing, although she hoped her face remained neutral. It would be nice to have Aang to herself for a while; he'd been too busy with his own thoughts last night to be much of a companion. And she missed traveling with him, with all of them; now that Zuko was the Fire Lord and Sokka and Suki were married, it felt like they'd all gone their own separate ways even when they were together. Of course, now that Katara and Zuko were together, well, that was a whole different matter. She allowed herself a gleeful smile; everyone would think it was because she was looking forward to battle.

There was more boring strategy stuff, then everyone went off to get ready. So far, the lookouts had reported, no one had approached them, even though there were several villages and a garrison only a few miles away; all to the good as far as Toph was concerned. "That means we should have plenty of time to find the best spot to wait for them," she said to Aang as they left the airship.

"Good," Aang replied as they reached the tree line and entered the cool forest. He rubbed Momo's head, and was rewarded by a happy chirp from the flying lemur. There was a rutted path threaded between the trees, probably made by animals, but Toph could tell it had been used by people as well, although not recently. She dutifully reported that information to Aang, then followed along, trusting his eyes as well as her own senses to find a dense enough stand of trees for them to hide that would still allow them to be seen by the lookouts on the airship. Momo was to be their signal; if he swooped into sight, it meant they had something to report.

Toph sighed happily. "Just like old times," she muttered, and felt Aang turn his head to look at her.

"Yeah," he agreed, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Just like old times."

They disappeared fully into the greenery, Momo swooping overhead and occasionally landing on Aang's shoulder, Toph extending her senses to their fullest. She and Aang fell into a companionable silence, broken only by Momo's chatter and the occasional bird cry. It was actually kind of peaceful, Toph decided. If you forgot about the whole enemy-rebels-who-tried-to-poison-Zuko's-mom thing.

Without even thinking about it, she started whistling softly to herself. Zuko's mom was safe, the rebels would be stomped, and that would be that. And after this crisis was over, she decided, she would definitely offer to try and teach Aang metal bending and take him home with her to do so, if she could persuade him.

And after that? Who knew. Like she'd told Aang, people changed. More importantly, people's feelings changed.

Even those of the Avatar.


	22. Worries

**The Palace**

"Katara."

Someone was calling her name softly and shaking her shoulder. Katara groaned and blinked herself awake. She'd fallen asleep leaning against the wide window sill, slumped to the floor with her skirts bunched around her. At some point the Lady Anara must have woken up and seen her, because there was a light blanket around her shoulders as well. She stretched and yawned, then finally looked to see who it was who'd woken her. "Suki? How did you get in here? No one's supposed to come in but--"

"You and the Court Physicians and the Lady Anara, I know," Suki finished for her. "I guess the guards decided a pregnant woman couldn't be much of a threat. Besides," she added, "the Lady Anara vouched for me."

"And so do I, of course," Katara rushed to assure her friend. "I'm just not awake yet." She stretched again, grimacing as her back creaked like that of an old woman. "And I definitely can't recommend a window sill for sleeping on."

"Worse than an Earth-Bent stone bed?" Suki asked with a grin as she watched Katara struggle to her feet.

It was Katara's turn to smile. "Well, maybe not that bad." She looked over at Ursa, who was sitting up against a pile of pillows and sipping a cup of herbal tea. Katara's stomach growled in response to the enticing aroma, and she covered it with her hands in embarrassment. Suki stifled a giggle and they both walked over to check on Ursa.

"I'm feeling much better thank you," she said before either of them could speak. There was somewhat of a snap in her voice, causing both girls to come to a cautious stop before they reached her bedside. She smiled at their reaction. "My apologies, I'm just tired of hearing that question already, and it's only the first day of my recuperation. I'm afraid it brings back bad memories."

"As long as you're really feeling better, and not just saying it so we'll go away and leave you alone," Katara replied firmly. "You're our first priority right now."

"No, your first priority is ferreting out who did this so it won't happen to anyone else." Ursa's voice was equally firm. She gestured toward the pair of chairs that had been pulled up by one side of her bed, next to the small table on which now rested a tray laden with food. "I've been assured that this is safe for us to eat, and you must be starving. Please, help yourselves."

Suki didn't need to be asked twice, she promptly circled the bed, dragging Katara along, and plopped herself into the first chair, wiggling a bit until she found a comfortable position, then picking up a small plate and filling it with fruit and rolls. Katara took a cup of the tea first, then joined the other girl in nibbling on a roll. In spite of her stomach's earlier protests, she found she couldn't eat much and soon gave up entirely on anything but the tea.

"Katara, you should go back to your room and get some real sleep." Ursa's gentle voice woke the younger woman from a light doze she hadn't realized she'd fallen into. "You'll be no good to anyone until you get some rest."

Suki nodded sober agreement. "I'll stay here with Ursa and Anara," she volunteered. "And I've sent a messenger hawk to Kyoshi Island, sending for my troops. To help with guarding, investigating, whatever. Plus they'll want to be here for the wedding."

Ursa's eyes automatically went to Katara's hands, which were ringless, and she frowned in confusion. "I thought you spoke to Zuko before he left?"

Katara blew out a frustrated sigh. "I tried to, but every time I was ready to talk to him, someone interrupted. And now he's gone, so it'll have to wait till he gets back. Which could be a while, so your warriors might have to hang around a long time before anyone gets married."

Suki shrugged. "They'll be glad to be here when the baby's born, too. I'm pretty sure we can find ways to keep them busy." She made shooing motions. "Now go, off to bed, at least for a couple of hours. If anything happens, we'll let you know. I promise."

Katara rose to her feet. She was exhausted, could barely keep her eyes open, but still felt as if she were deserting the others. "I have to start the investigation," she began, only to be interrupted by Suki.

"Not right this second you don't. Like the Lady Ursa said, you'll be useless unless you get enough rest for your brain to work properly. Besides, haven't you heard of sleeping on a problem? Sometimes you get ideas when you dream."

"Sokka told you that, didn't he," Katara replied with a faint grin. "All right, I'll get some rest. But be sure and wake me up--"

"If anything happens. If we have to, we will," Suki assured her. "Now shoo."

Katara rose reluctantly to her feet, hesitating by the bedside and looking down at Ursa. "I'll be fine, I have Anara and Suki to take care of me," the older woman assured her with a wan smile. "And Chief Physician Urdai will no doubt be popping in and out all day, checking up on me. Go. Rest." She reached up, and Katara took her hand, pressing it gently in hers before leaving the room.

**oOo**

In spite of her beliefs otherwise, Katara fell into a deep, sound sleep as soon as her head touched the soft pillows on her bed. She woke a few hours later, feeling much more alert than she hand upon awakening earlier. There was a tray next to her bed, with a glass of cold tea. Well, room temperature until she cooled it to a delicious iciness, then drank it thirstily.

"All right, Katara, enough lazing around. Time to get to work," she announced to herself, then headed for her bathing chamber. A quick clean-up, some fresh clothes, then off to investigate.

Investigate what, she still wasn't sure, but she knew she couldn't just sit around a moment longer.

As she Bent the cool, refreshing water over her head, she paused as a thought came to her. No, not a thought, a memory. _I have been witness to more than one attempt at murder by such means, including one against your uncle when he was much younger._ Chief Physician's Urdai's words. Maybe there was some way Iroh's poisoning could help them figure out Ursa's.

Ozai had investigated and found nothing. Or had he? Katara decided to start her inquiries by visiting the high security prison where Zuko's father now resided. If Azula was able to find out from prison that Aang was gone and plan her escape around that information, then it was just as likely that Ozai had spies as well. He was under heavier guard than Azula had been, which had been further increased after her escape, so chances were he wasn't ever going to get out, but that didn't mean he didn't still have influence.

Katara paused before leaving her room. It might be a good idea to have a little chat with Chief Physician Urdai first, get some more details out of him regarding Uncle's poisoning. With that decision made, she strode out of the room, head held high...

...and nearly bumped into the back of one of the two guards standing in front of her door. "Oof!" she said, startled, as she regained her balance. "Um, what are you doing here?"

"Fire Lord Zuko's orders, Lady Katara," the man replied without turning around. "You are to have guards on you at all times."

"Um, OK, but I have some errands to run," she replied, not sure what to make of this development. Of course she knew Zuko had been worried about leaving her behind, but she didn't realize he'd been _this_ worried.

"We will accompany you." There was no room for compromise in that flat statement, so Katara resigned herself to having company.

"All right. We're going to the Hospital Wing first." Both guards nodded and fell into step behind her. She kept glancing over her back and offering them nervous smiles, which they stonily ignored. "Well trained," Katara muttered to herself as they strode down the corridors. She felt ridiculous, but decided she'd better get used to it. _After all, I'll probably have personal body guards all the time once I marry Zuko_, she reminded herself.

It was a sobering thought, and she considered how her life was going to change once she accepted the betrothal ring. Negative after negative piled itself into her mind: less freedom, more responsibilities, learning all sorts of court rules and manners not necessary as a mere guest in the palace but doubtlessly vital once she became an actual part of the court. And what if she wanted to just take off and visit her family, or Uncle in Ba Sing Se? Would she be able to? A frown creased her forehead as she considered for the first time what she was getting into

Would Zuko expect her to change so she'd better fit into his life? Would everyone start calling her Fire Lady, or would she have a different title? The thought of having any title at all was dizzying, and she forced the thoughts away. _Concentrate on finding out something about the rebels and the poisoning,_ she chided herself. _Stop making yourself crazy about something that hasn't even happened yet._

It was good, solid advice. She just wished she could follow it.


	23. Confrontations

**oOo**

It was dark. Cool and dark, with a damp edge to the coolness. It was almost like summer temperatures at home, except for the unpleasant smell of the moisture in the air. Katara wrinkled her nose at the mildewy aroma. What her two guards thought of the underground prison, she had no idea. They'd never changed expression, not once. Not while she quizzed Chief Physician Urdai, not while they traveled to this heavily guarded place, not even when she tried to strike up a conversation out of boredom. They nodded politely and gave her what appeared to be their full attention, but eventually she caught on to the fact that they weren't really listening to her, they were watching everything around her instead. Keeping her safe was their first priority, but it was still intimidating to be surrounded by so much silence from two other human beings.

Chief Physician Urdai, usually taciturn to a fault, seemed positively chatty in comparison.

_"Iroh's poisoning?" He sounded surprised at her question. "That was many years ago, when Zuko was just an infant. What bearing could it have on the present?"_

_"Was it the same kind of poisoning?" Katara pressed him. She was perched on the edge of a hard, narrow chair that faced his cluttered desk. Scrolls, tea cups, a half-eaten pear on a plate, ink wells, and anatomical charts littered the smooth black stone top which occasionally found room to peep through. The rest of the office was scrupulously clean, with a breathtaking view from the wide windows of the far-off mountains._

_Urdai frowned. "I believe it was, actually, now that you mention it." He stood up. "I'll have to check my records, please excuse me for a moment." He disappeared through the room's second doorway, clacking his way through the threaded beads that hung over it. Katara studied the red and orange pattern as it swayed its way back into stillness; a sunburst, not the Fire Kingdom symbol as she'd first assumed. It was beautiful, and she turned to comment on it to one of her guards, then closed her mouth on the words as she saw the stony expressions hadn't changed one bit. Instead, she turned back and kept her gaze on the doorway and its lovely covering, waiting impatiently for Urdai's return._

_"Here it is, Lord Iroh's medical records from that time." He thrust the document down on top of a pile of half-opened scrolls already covering a large portion of his desk, then opened it, running his fingers down the columns until he found the date he wanted. "Arynaesic poisoning_." _He grunted in surprise. "Administered to the Lord Iroh...this can't be right." He frowned and peered closer at the document. _

_Katara leaned forward eagerly in her chair. "What is it?"_

_Urdai slowly looked up at her. "It says here the poison was found coating the dishes and bowls he used for eating."_

_"Just like Ursa," Katara breathed. "I _knew_ it! I knew there was a connection!" Her eyes shone as she stared at the Chief Physician. "Did the Lady Ursa know about Lord Iroh's poisoning?"_

_Urdai shook his head. "No, I believe it was agreed to keep it from her. As I said, Lord Zuko was only an infant, perhaps a few months old at the most. Lord Ozai didn't want her worried."_

_Katara gave an un-ladylike snort. "I'm not surprised; men are always trying to keep us safe even when we can take care of ourselves." When Urdai gave her a puzzled stare, she blushed and waved her hand dismissively. "Sorry, getting off-topic. So there's a connection, there has to be."_

_"Yes, I suppose there is," Urdai agreed. "I suppose it's why I suggested that the Lady Ursa's dishes had been coated with the poison. Subconsciously, I was remembering what happened to Lord Iroh."_

_"That makes sense," Katara replied. She rose to her feet and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Chief Physician," she said formally. "I think I definitely need to have a chat with Lord Ozai." She hesitated before turning to leave. "Please keep this information to yourself for now, if you don't mind."_

_Urdai bowed. "You can count on me," he assured her. She heard the rustling of papers as she and her guards left the room, heard Urdai muttering to himself, and tried to stem the growing excitement in her heart._ There _has_ to be a connection, _she told herself as they made their way from the Hospital Wing to the over-sized __Transportation__Center__ to commandeer a cart for the two hour-long journey to the prison._

And now they were here, following the dim glow of torchlight down the long, winding stone corridors of the prison. They'd been admitted only after one of her guards had unexpectedly brandished a crimson wax seal gracing a document that was still unopened; apparently the seal alone was enough to get them in. "Where did you get that? What is it?" Katara demanded as soon as the prison guard had gone to find a superior officer to escort them. Katara hadn't missed how wide the man's eyes had gotten at the sight of it.

"Lord Zuko left it in my care, to grant you access to places and information normally only available to him," the guard replied, carefully replacing the rolled up document into the leather bag that hung at his belt.

"Can I look at it?"

He reached wordlessly into the pouch and brought the tightly-rolled document back out and handed it to her.

Katara examined the scroll, her own eyes widening as she realized the seal was the royal seal of the Fire Nation, the one used only on the most important documents. Zuko had shown the seals to her, one rare afternoon when he had no meetings scheduled and she'd come to his audience chamber to drag him off to lunch. His personal seal, his mother's seal, which had been restored to its place of honor in the elaborately carved seal box as soon as she'd been brought back to the palace; the seals of the various Fire Kingdom provinces and territories ("I'm officially governor of all of them," had been Zuko's embarrassed explanation as to why he had so many for so many different places), and the most important seal of all: the royal seal, with its own special wax and parchment and even ribbons and scroll tubes.

It was unmistakable, and Katara was awed to see it on a document meant specifically to help her. "I guess Zuko really did think of everything," she said, blinking back unexpected tears of gratitude. It hadn't occurred to her, as someone with no official status or title, that she might need a little help in dealing with the Fire Nation bureaucracy. She supposed she should be annoyed with him for not entrusting the document to her directly, but he must have written it as he was rushing around after Ursa's poisoning and healing, right before he actually left.

The prison guard and his captain hurried up to the desk where she'd been left to wait, both bowing deferentially to her. "My Lady Katara, please forgive the delay," the captain said as he straightened up. "Please, if you'll follow me, I'll bring you to the prisoner."

Katara couldn't help but notice the way the man seemed to avoid naming Ozai, and she wondered why. Maybe he just referred to all the prisoners that way, or maybe he didn't quite know how to refer to the deposed ruler. Katara felt that way herself; it felt odd to just refer to him as "Ozai", but giving him the title "Lord" felt funny, too.

She let it go as they plunged deeper into the depths of the prison. The former Fire Lord was on the lowest, and most heavily guarded, level. A level he currently had all to himself, as an added precaution. The other inmates had been moved immediately after Azula's escape, on the theory that other prisoners had somehow aided her. Her father was to be given no such opportunity.

They finally arrived, after passing through layer after layer of guards and officials. The guards watching over Ozai's prison were the meanest, toughest looking men Katara had ever seen, not to mention the largest, both in height and in bulk. No amount of armor could hide the bulging muscles of their arms, their massive thighs and chests.

The guards bowed and stood aside to let them pass; Katara felt positively juvenile as she squeezed between them. Her own guards seemed suddenly much less intimidating in comparison.

She held up a hand, indicating they should wait, and both her guards and the captain escorting her came to an obedient stop several paces away from the bars holding Ozai captive. Katara, swallowing past a sudden lump in her throat, heart racing, stepped forward until she was directly in front of the opening, staring in at the man who had sought to wreak so much havoc in the world. The man who had attempted genocide on the Earth Kingdom, who had committed the only slightly lesser evils of banishing his own wife and twisting his daughter into his own evil image, who had tried to do the same to his son.

The man whose orders were directly responsible for the death of her mother.

He was facing away from the barred entrance, his hands clasped together behind his back, his posture ramrod straight, as if he were reviewing a military parade somewhere in the non-existent distance represented by the cold stone walls that made up the other three sides of his prison. Katara took a deep breath and another step closer before she spoke.

"Lord Ozai." Katara's words echoed slightly, and she watched as he turned to face her.

Two years in prison had done nothing to humble his proud nature, his arrogance, or his seething hatred for those who had deposed him. That much was clear the moment their eyes met. His lip curled in disdain as he looked her up and down. "So," he drawled. "This is the water tribe peasant who has stolen my weakling of a son's heart. Or at least set his nether regions on fire."

Katara felt her face burning at the insult, but refused to show him any other reaction. "Lord Ozai, do you know why I'm here?"

He shrugged and turned his back on her dismissively. "To do my son's bidding, no doubt. To gloat. Or to tell me how he's going to allow you to sire the next generation of Fire Nation rulers, and so continue the path to ruin he's begun to lead us on."

"I'm here because someone tried to poison the Lady Ursa the same way they tried to poison Lord Iroh when Zuko was a baby."

That got his attention; she could see his back stiffen before he slowly turned once again to face her. Just as slowly he took a seat on a simple wooden bench, and Katara did so as well on the matching bench provided just out of arm's reach of the bars. "Someone tried to poison my wife? Interesting."

"That's all you have to say? Interesting? Not, 'how is she' or 'why are you here'?" Katara exploded in exasperation. She wasn't sure what reaction she'd expected from him, but his cool, unemotional words certainly weren't it.

"Of course it's interesting, just as it was interesting when someone tried to do the same to my brother. I presume there's some commonality between the two events or you wouldn't have linked them together the way you did. Did someone coat my wife's plates with arynaesic, the way they did Iroh's?" He studied her, then nodded. "Obviously. We never discovered the culprit when it happened 19 years ago, and I doubt you'll find out who did it now."

"I think you never officially found out who it was because you already knew," Katara countered, wondering where she was finding the courage to sound so steady and calm even as her heart tried to beat its way out of her chest. "I think you know something about this poisoning as well."

A slow smile, chilling in its emptiness, crept across the former Fire Lord's lips. "Do you now. And why is that?"

"Azula never knew that her mother was back, but she knew when Aang left, that it would be the perfect time to kidnap me," Katara said, not caring if he wondered why she suddenly seemed to be changing the subject. "If she knew the one thing, then why not the other? I asked myself that over and over, and the only conclusion I came to was that someone was controlling the information Azula received. And the only one with enough power to do that, even in prison, was you."

"Clever, but ultimately unprovable," Ozai responded, sounding bored. But the disdain on his face had transmuted into something almost resembling surprise.

Katara studied him closely. "No, I think it can be proven. We just didn't know the right questions to ask when she escaped before, and no one really followed up once she was dead and Zuko and I were back. But I bet someone knows something, and for a price I'd even bet they'd be willing to talk."

An expression of alarm briefly crossed Ozai's face. "What price could you possibly offer them besides a bath?" he sneered.

Katara smiled serenely. "A royal pardon might be enough." She held up the scroll so he could get a clear look at the seal. "Zuko left this for me. I'll bet I can use it to do just that."

Ozai didn't bother to hide the hatred that distorted his features as he sprang to his feet. "Go ahead, make your inquiries," he snarled. "Offer your bribe. What does it matter to me? I've been assured I'll never get out of here, the Avatar stole my Fire Bending abilities, and my true heir is dead because of you and my fool of a son. I have nothing left to lose, no punishment that can be meted out that would be worse than what I've already endured. But I won't give you the satisfaction of even a single hint, a piece of information that might help you. Find it on your own, Water Bender."

He kicked the bench he'd been sitting on aside and walked to the farthest wall of his cell, his back once again to the opening, arms crossed over his chest. He stood staring at the darkness as Katara rose to her feet and marched toward the corridor leading to this lonely, dark room, not bothering to look back.

She remained silent the entire walk back to the surface, only nodding or shaking her head in response to anxious questions from her guide. She was silent during the ride back to the palace, not bothering to try and engage her guards the way she had earlier, staring out at the harsh landscape they rode through as it gradually softened and became cultivated and inhabited. They wound through the capital, finally entering the palace grounds. Katara nimbly jumped out of the cart and strode determinedly into the palace, heading directly for Lady Ursa's quarters. She might have been kept in the dark about Iroh's poisoning, but the Lady Anara might not have been, and she was next on Katara's list of people to talk to.

**oOo**

Katara refused to let herself think about the less-than-productive interview with Ozai, except to briefly thank the gods of every pantheon that a) he wasn't her father, and b) that Zuko had managed to turn out as well as he had in spite of being brought up by such a monster. An unrepentant monster at that.

Concentrating fiercely on not letting Ozai get to her, as she'd been trying to do ever since she left, she continued down the halls at a rapid pace, wanting to talk to Anara, and maybe anyone else who was in the palace at the time and might remember more. Suki might be able to help her there; she had a knack for getting the servants to talk to her, a knack Katara hadn't quite mastered yet. And then there was another trip to the prison in her future, sometime soon but not right away. She wasn't bluffing when she threatened to offer a pardon to any prisoners that might be able to help her, but she wanted to give Ozai time to think about it before she took that step. It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time, to think about holding that kind of power, even if only temporarily.

"Katara."

She stopped, turning to see who had said her name so quietly. Her guards stepped closer as they neared the open doorway and the darkened figure standing in the shadows cast by the late afternoon sun. Then the figure stepped forward, and Katara drew a surprised breath. "Mai?" she asked incredulously.


	24. Making Progress

Mai looked at Katara, her face impassive. "So. When's the big day?"

"Big day?" Katara stared at Mai in confusion, then flushed as she realized what the other girl meant. "Oh, the big day. Well, that is, we haven't really, I mean I haven't had the chance...what are you doing back?" She resorted to a desperate change of subject. "Aang said you were teaching at a fighting school in Ba Sing Se."

"I was. I still am, after this. If I haven't been hung as a Fire Nation traitor by Zuko first." Mai never changed tone or inflection, sounding as bored as she ever had. It was a far cry from the last time Katara had heard her speak, when she was storming angrily out of Zuko's rooms only a few weeks ago.

"Why would Zuko want to hang you as a traitor?" Katara asked, focusing on the words instead of the way they were uttered. She certainly wouldn't have been able to speak them with such aplomb.

Mai shrugged and leaned against the door frame. "Because of my father's involvement in this stupid rebellion."

"I think I need to sit down for this conversation," Katara said after a long pause. "Would you care to join me in the Tea Room?"

"Sure, why not." Mai stepped further into the hall, closing the door behind her. She was unarmed, Katara noted, or at least not visibly armed as she usually was. She wondered if it was sensitivity on Mai's part...or caution on the part of the guards who had admitted her to the palace. Either way, she refrained from commenting on it, in case it was a sore subject. Of course, any subject between them had to be a sore one, considering...

"Mai, I never got the chance to apologize to you," Katara said abruptly as they headed for the cozy confines of the small salon known as the Tea Room. "I know you must hate me, but I just want you to know we didn't do it on purpose."

"Yeah, I figured that out. It's over now, apology accepted, and I hope you don't mind if I ask you to drop the subject." There was still no change in inflection in Mai's voice, but her eyes shone suspiciously bright in the waning afternoon sunlight, and she snapped her mouth shut on the words as if to demonstrate her unwillingness to continue the conversation.

Katara took the unsubtle hint and remained silent for the rest of the short walk. Once they were in the room with the door shut firmly behind them (with her guards on the other side of that door, despite the protests one of them attempted to make), Katara pulled the strip of fabric that attached itself to a series of pulleys until it ended up in the kitchens, a signal to whoever was on duty that the Tea Room was occupied. It took only moments for a servant to appear with a tray bearing three small pots of various teas and an assortment of cups and sweets. During the wait, Mai wandered around the room, touching various decorative objects before stopping in front of the window. She stayed there, gazing out at the view or gathering her thoughts, Katara assumed, until the table was arranged and Katara had seated herself. Then she joined her, sipping approvingly at her tea.

"When Iroh is out of town, there isn't a decent teahouse in the entire city of Ba Sing Se," she finally said. She looked at Katara over her tea cup. "So. Here we are."

"Here we are," Katara echoed. There was an awkward pause. "So. Do you want to tell me more about your father? Why is he involved in the rebellion?"

"Involved? My idiot father is one of the main conspirators." Mai snorted with disgust. "He sent me a message, ordering me to join him in punishing Zuko for dishonoring our betrothal and tarnishing the throne by attempting to put a Water Nation peasant on it in my place."

Having already endured Ozai's similar opinion of her, Katara didn't even flinch internally at Mai's words. Instead, she focused on the part that interested her the most. "So why didn't you?"

Mai stared at her for a long moment. "Because I'm not a traitor," she finally replied before deliberately raising her tea cup and taking a long sip, lowering her eyes in the process. "Because I think my father's a fool, an arrogant fool at that, to think he can topple Zuko from the throne when he has the Avatar and most of the people on his side. And because if I wanted revenge, I would have taken it myself. He's just using this situation as an excuse." Her voice caught. "If I thought for one minute that he actually felt that way about me, that he cared about my feelings, I'd already be at his side. Trying to convince him it was a bad idea, true, but I'd be with him instead of here."

Katara didn't need to hear the emotions behind those words; just the simple fact of Mai having uttered them told the Water Bender exactly how upset her former romantic rival was at the situation. "You know Zuko's already gone north to deal with them," was all she said.

Mai nodded. "I understand I just missed him. Which is why I'm telling you this, instead of going before the Council."

"Because they'd automatically throw you in prison because of your father," Katara guessed. "I'll send a messenger hawk out right away."

"Why did they leave at night?"

Katara stopped in the act of rising from her seat, slowly retaking it. "You mean you haven't heard?"

Mai stiffened. "Heard what?"

"Someone tried to poison the Lady Ursa, then tried to threaten Zuko into not retaliating or trying to put down the rebellion," Katara replied, watching Mai's face closely.

That finally cracked the facade; her startlement was genuine, her mouth slightly agape at the news. "Poison?" she whispered. "No one's tried to poison a member of the royal family in years!"

"Nineteen years, to be exact," Katara agreed. "That's when someone tried to poison Uncle Iroh in the same way. _Exactly_ the same way," she emphasized, making up her mind then and there to trust Mai with all the information she already possessed. If Mai were part of the conspiracy, she would have been crazy to come to the palace alone.

"But she's all right?" Mai sounded shaken.

Katara nodded quickly. "We got the poison neutralized in time. She's fine. Would you like to see her? Are you planning to stay?"

"I wasn't sure how Zuko would react to my news, so I told the Winding Path School I wasn't sure when or even if I would be able to come back." Another resigned shrug. "So yeah, I guess I'll stay. At the very least I need to be here when Zuko comes back, to prove I didn't have anything to do with this."

"I believe you, and I know Zuko will too," Katara said firmly.

"Yes, I'll bet you two know each other better than anyone by now," Mai said. "And no, that's not meant to be an insult. Just a fact."

"Let me fill you in on what we know," Katara said, bringing the subject back to the safer ground of treachery and rebellion. "I went to speak to Lord Ozai today..."

Mai listened intently as Katara detailed the events leading up to Zuko's abrupt leave-taking, and what Katara herself had accomplished since then. "Not very much," she finished, "but getting your information to Zuko is important." She went over to a side table, rummaging through the drawers until she found a piece of parchment, some ink and an ornate, old-fashioned quill. She wrote out everything Mai had told her, then showed it to the Fire Nation girl to confirm its correctness. Mai nodded her approval, then Katara rang for a servant again.

"You're getting more comfortable with that," Mai observed after Katara handed the scroll to the girl who appeared and requested that she immediately bring it to the man in charge of dispatching the messenger hawks. She managed to get one of her guards to accompany the girl as well before closing the door once again in time for Mai's comment. "That's good. I approve. I have to admit, one of the things I was worried about was whether you'd be able to manage as Fire Lady, especially since you never used to let the servants do things for you. But being in charge works for you."

"Um, thanks," Katara said, feeling the tips of her ears burning with embarrassment at the unexpected compliment.

Mai gave a slight smile. "So. Can I come with you to the prison tomorrow, when you go to start offering bribes for information? I think seeing us cooperating with each other will help stop any nasty rumors from circulating."

Katara sighed. "They will anyway. But thank you, I appreciate the offer. And I accept."

"Like I said, I'm not a traitor. I'll do anything I have to, to keep this nation from falling into civil war. And the Lady Ursa was always kind to me, even when I knew her as a child." With those words, Mai headed for the door. "I'll visit Lady Ursa in the morning, I think, since it's getting to be pretty late in the day. Come and get me tomorrow when you're ready to go," she added with a half-grin. "I'm sure Lord Ozai's had plenty of time to think about what you told him by now."

"I'm sure he has," Katara replied, watching as Mai walked silently out of the room. She automatically gathered up the tea things, piling them onto the tray, but stopped short of carrying them down to the kitchens herself. Mai's earlier words came to mind; was it really that important for Zuko's wife to let herself be waited on? She sighed in frustration. "Sure, Katara, the nation's on the brink of civil war and you're worried about whether or not you can get used to living in the lap of luxury." She shook her head at herself, then deliberately turned her back on the tray and pulled the golden strip of fabric one more time, this time to summon someone to clean up. She also resisted the urge to wipe down the table, instead walking out of the room. She needed to let the guards know that Mai was allowed to visit Ursa...but not by herself. "Trust, yet be prepared for treachery." One of Uncle's sayings she never thought she'd have use for, and here she was, quoting it to herself.

"Zuko, you need to get back soon," she muttered to herself. "I'm getting way too comfortable thinking like you do."

She spent the time between errands daydreaming about his return. On the way to confirm that her message had been sent, she pictured him coming home in triumph, the rebellion firmly squashed, her brother boasting and Toph crowing and Aang happy that little blood had been shed. She further imagined the welcome she wanted to personally give Zuko, and made herself blush at the boldness of those imaginings.

After her second guard had rejoined her and on the way to speak to the palace major domo about preparing the Lady Mai's old rooms (as opposed to the simple guest chamber she'd been given upon her arrival), her thoughts turned darker; what if the rebels were triumphant? What if there were enough people behind them that Zuko was overthrown? She pictured him coming home in defeat, in his family's exile or even executions, and she shuddered. "Happy thoughts, Katara," she muttered to herself as the three of them traipsed through the halls. "Happy thoughts."

On the way to speak to the Council about Mai's news (and swallowing past her nervousness at that thought), she once again drifted into a daydream about Zuko's return, and the private time they would spend together once all the bustle died down. She imagined him putting the betrothal ring on her finger as she said yes, and she imagined him hanging a betrothal necklace that he'd made himself, in her people's tradition, around her neck as well. She frowned slightly at that thought; had she ever really explained the tradition to him? If not, maybe she'd better have Sokka talk to him. There was no way she was waiting for her father's arrival before saying yes to Zuko.

"My lady, what brings you here?" The guard on the council chamber door bowed as Katara brought her thoughts back to the less-than-pleasant present.

"I need to address the Council, I have news regarding the rebellion," she replied firmly. He bowed once again and rapped on the heavy wooden door with the pommel of his sword. He waited a moment, then opened the door and stepped into the room, closing the door firmly behind him. Katara waited impatiently for it to open again, then stepped through immediately it was wide enough.

The Council members seemed to be confused at her presence, although some of them held indulgent smiles on their faces that quickly faded as she gave them her news. _What did they think I was going to tell them, that I found a pretty new color for the men's uniforms?_ she thought in disgust.

She answered what questions she could, and hesitated before also informing them of her visit to Lord Ozai. That raised a buzz of consternation; one Councilor went so far as to reprimand her for abusing Fire Lord Zuko's trust in her…and for putting herself in what he strongly referred to as "unnecessary harm's way."

"Councilor, I appreciate your concern, but Lord Zuko asked me to investigate his mother's poisoning, and that's what I did," was her heated response. "I'm not abusing anything; I'm just doing what has to be done. What have you found out?" she asked pointedly. "Anything that will help bring the man behind the poisoner to justice?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, most notably from her critic. "I didn't think so," she said, jutting her chin aggressively and crossing her arms. "But if you do learn anything, I expect to be informed, just as I will keep you informed of what I learn. And the Lady Mai is to be treated as an honored guest; she came here willingly and I won't have her followed or treated with suspicion. Is that clear?"

"Quite," one of the younger Council members, Lord Yui, said with a grin. "We have been thoroughly put in our places, Lady Katara. You will make a worthy Fire Lady one day."

That caught her by surprise; it was the first time anyone outside her private circle of friends had commented on her potential future status, and she was gratified by the support it showed. Judging by the sour expressions on some of the older Council members' faces, however, the sentiment was far from unanimous. "Thank you," was all she said. She bowed respectfully to the full table, then turned and left, not allowing herself to shake with reaction until she was well down the hall on the way to Lady Ursa's rooms. She stopped, leaning against the wall until she was able to control herself again, her silent guards moving to stand in front of her with their backs to her, allowing her a modicum of privacy for which she found herself ridiculously grateful.

Once she fully composed herself, she tapped them on their shoulders. "Thank you," she said formally, neither expecting nor receiving a response. "We're going to Lady Ursa's rooms now."


	25. Comfort Zone

**oOo**

Suki was still sitting with Ursa and Anara, chatting animatedly about the baby. "I'm sure it's a girl, but Sokka's convinced it's a boy," she was saying as the door opened and Katara walked in.

"Either way, it'll be perfect," Katara said, swooping in to give her sister-in-law an affectionate hug. "You're looking so much better, Lady Ursa," she added, turning her attention to the other woman, who's color had, indeed, improved a great deal since the morning. "Lady Anara, has she been doing what the Chief Physician told her and getting enough rest?"

"More than enough," Ursa replied, staring at Katara in amazement. "My goodness, you appear to have had some good news to be so cheerful this evening!"

Katara practically bounced into the chair next to Suki's. "Well, let me tell you what happened..."

They listened with wide eyes as she detailed her visit to Lord Ozai's prison, Mai's return, and her triumphant visit to the Council. "I know it isn't a lot of information, but knowing who's behind the rebellion is important, and so is everything else I learned," she concluded.

"Especially the part about Lord Yui supporting you so publicly," Lady Ursa put in shrewdly. "I'm impressed that even one Council member was willing to do so."

"Oh, well, it wasn't that big a deal," Katara mumbled, suddenly embarrassed at having done so much bragging about herself.

"I disagree, it was an extremely big deal," Ursa said firmly. "And don't belittle any of your accomplishments today, Katara; you've discovered a great deal, and handled yourself very well. You have a right to be proud."

"I just wish there was some way I could make things right with Mai," she confessed, her good mood evaporating at the thought of Zuko's former betrothed. "She paid me a compliment, but I doubt I'm ever going to be her favorite person."

"We can't be liked by everyone, no matter how hard we try," Ursa counseled, while Anara and Suki nodded agreement. "And Mai has a legitimate grievance; no matter how innocently your affection for Zuko began, or his for you, it came at the expense of another's heart."

"Two other hearts," Katara corrected glumly. "I know Aang's decided to let it go, but I also know it still hurts him, too."

"Hearts heal," Ursa said, reaching out to pat Katara's hand understandingly. "It will take time, but both hearts will eventually heal, and new love will grow there. Small comfort, but it's all I have to offer right now. And I will only offer it to Mai if she wants to hear it from me," she added with a sad smile.

"Wow, from happy-happy-joy-joy to doom-and-gloom in about two seconds," Suki said after all four women fell silent. "That's gotta be some kind of record."

"Right, so let's break it," Katara replied with a determined smile. "Who's ready for dinner? Shall we eat with you, Lady Ursa, or would you prefer some privacy?"

Ursa grimaced. "While I sip my soup and the bland broths Urdai has ordained that I eat for the next few days? Yes, I think I'd better eat alone, or I shall start to take out my dislike of my diet on you. And I shall no doubt try to talk one of you into giving me some of your own food, so I'd better just avoid the temptation. Go, eat, and I'll see you all later. Except for you, Suki," she added sternly as the pregnant girl struggled to her feet. "You need to get to your own bed and rest. Don't think I haven't seen you stifling yawns half the day."

Suki grinned sheepishly. "Well, I did miss my nap, but that just means I'll sleep better tonight. And I'll sleep even better after my warriors arrive."

"We all will," Katara replied truthfully. It would feel very good to have some allies around her, known quantities. People she could fully trust. Well, maybe not Ty Lee, not a hundred percent, but the rest she had no doubts about. "Come on," she said, linking her arm through Suki's. "I'm starving."

**North - One Day Later**

Sokka strolled into Zuko's private cabin after a cursory knock on the partially-open door. "Hey, Zuko, General Tsing wanted to know…what are you doing?"

That wasn't what General Tsing wanted to know, but it was certainly what Sokka wanted to know. Zuko was hunched over the cabin's small table, scowling down at three small pieces of wood he appeared to have been carving. "Nothing," Zuko snapped, hunching even more, as if to cover the work, and laying the small knife he'd been holding to one side. "What did the general want?"

"Uh, something about how long we should wait before sending in the ground troops," Sokka replied absently. "I think the ship is here." He moved closer to the table, ignoring Zuko's obvious desire to keep whatever he was doing secret. "What are you making? I didn't know you could carve!" He pushed aside Zuko's hand and picked up one of the three thumb-sized pieces of light brown wood and inspected the design with a critical eye. "Is that supposed to be the Water Tribe symbol?"

Zuko sighed and straightened in his seat; Sokka wasn't going to let this go, and short of ordering him from the room, which probably wouldn't work anyway, there wasn't much he could do but answer his friend's curiosity. "Yeah, it is." Sokka picked up the second piece, and Zuko slumped uncomfortably in his chair. "Yes, that's the Fire Nation symbol."

"That one looks a lot better," was Sokka's only comment as he picked up the third piece of wood. The one Zuko had been fiddling with when he walked in. Sokka squinted at it closely. "Is that-this looks like a combination of the two. And why are there holes drilled through the tops? Are they for a…hey, are you making a betrothal necklace?" Sokka sounded incredulous and amused at the same time. "For my sister?"

"No, I'm making one for Ty Lee," Zuko growled. "Of course it's for your sister! I know how much your mother's necklace means to her and wanted to do something special for her." He grimaced. "I was reading up on Water Tribe betrothal customs, Southern and Northern, to make sure I wasn't missing something important. Making sure the reason she hasn't said she'll marry me wasn't just because of Aang or because she wasn't ready, but because I did something wrong when I offered her the family ring." He looked at Sokka with appeal in his eyes. "Do I really have to ask your father's permission to ask her to marry me?"

Sokka shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Yeah, well, that is sort of the custom, but in our family it isn't always followed. I mean, yeah, the necklaces are a tradition we started following because of Gran-Gran, and that's a really cool idea to combine the two symbols together, although you might want to rethink the design a little, you should have seen the first one I tried to make for Suki…" He realized he was babbling and trailed off with a sheepish expression. "What I'm trying to say is, Katara wouldn't let a little thing like generations of tradition stand in her way if she wanted to marry someone. Gran-Gran didn't, she actually ran away from an arranged marriage, so I don't think Katara would worry about that sort of thing."

Zuko leaned back in his chair. "So I'm wasting my time with this?" He gestured toward the two carvings still on the table, then frowned and snatched the third one out of Sokka's unresisting hand.

"No, I'm just saying she'll appreciate the gesture, and when she's ready to accept it, she'll accept it, even if you don't talk to our dad first," Sokka replied. He grinned suddenly. "In fact, there's precedent that allows the eldest male relative to stand in for the father if he's not around." He pointed a thumb to his chest in case Zuko missed the point. "That would be me. So go ahead and ask; that way you're covered."

Zuko stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Do you know how your sister would react if I told her I had your permission to marry her? She'd laugh her butt off, you know she would."

Sokka shrugged. "Maybe. But when she was done laughing, I'll bet she'd tell you how much she loves you for going to the trouble." He made a kissy face. "Come on, you know you wanna. Ask me!" He struck a heroic pose.

Zuko laughed at the absurdity of the situation as well as Sokka's deliberate attempt to lighten the moment. "All right, I will," he said, rising to his feet. "Sokka, I've made this necklace with my own hands, and I ask for the hand of your sister in return."

Sokka stared down at the three pieces of wood with a mock scowl of consideration plastered across his features. "Well, you really do need to re-think the combined symbols, maybe on a bigger piece of wood, and I think you should work on the Water Tribe symbol as well, but otherwise…you have my blessing." He turned serious. "I know you'll have my father's blessing as well, Zuko. He's like me, he just wants Katara to be happy."

"Thanks. That really means a lot," was Zuko's sincere reply. "I know when we got together it was kind of a shock, but I'm glad you're willing to accept it. To accept us."

Sokka waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, it was nothing. Once Aang said it was okay, it was kind of hard for me to be upset about it. Besides, the food in the palace is to die for; knowing that we'll be relatives means we can eat there as much as we want, right? Give special orders to the cooks, that sort of thing? Hey!" His eyes lit up at a sudden thought. "Will I get a special Fire Nation title or something?"

Zuko admitted he hadn't thought that far ahead. "But there's probably something in the law books, some kind of precedent to make you a lord or something."

"All right!" Sokka smacked his fist into his hand and danced his way out of the room. "Lord Sokka on the deck!" was the last thing Zuko heard before he disappeared from sight…only to reappear a few seconds later. "Um, what did you want me to tell General Tsing?"

"I'll go and talk to him myself," Zuko replied, replacing the precious carvings on the table after carefully tying them up in a leather pouch.

Sokka loitered near the door, this time waiting for Zuko to join him. He slung an arm over the other man's shoulder as they entered the hall. "So, future bro-in-law, what else does joining the Fire Nation's royal family mean to me…I mean us?" he asked with a grin.

Zuko smothered an exasperated groan. "Later, Sokka, we'll figure it out later. Right now, let's focus on stopping this ridiculous rebellion in its tracks."

"A guy can't help wondering," was Sokka's cheerful reply.

This time, Zuko didn't bother hiding the groan. "Let's just go see General Tsing."

* * *

_A/N: A bit fluffy this time around, but things have been so grim...and the next stop is another visit to the prison for Mai and Katara, and the next step for Zuko is...well, let's just say the betrothal won't be uppermost in his mind the next time we see him. Enough of a hint? Stay tuned, and don't forget to review!_


	26. Prison Walls

**The Prison**

"I really hate going back to this place," Katara confessed as the small cart jounced along the uneven road. The mountain housing the prison loomed in the distance, a distance that shrank far too quickly for her liking.

No one responded to the comment, but Katara didn't really expect them to. Mai had been quiet most of the morning, and Katara wondered if she and the two guards were having a contest to see who could say the least. That silence had finally driven her to speak, no matter how futile it was to expect an answer.

"Prison's not exactly my favorite place to visit, either." Katara turned in surprise at Mai's monotone comment. The other girl was sitting slightly behind her in the open cart, braced against the jolting ride by wedging herself into the far corner even as Katara leaned against the driver's seat, wedged in turn between the two guards and occasionally confronted by the driver's shifting backside.

"Then why did you come with me? Really, I mean," Katara pressed. "I know what you told me, but why would you want to even go near another prison?" She was being undiplomatic, but she didn't care. The truth was very important to her right now, especially the truth from Zuko's former betrothed, Azula's former lieutenant.

"What, a girl can't want to check out prison accommodations in case she ends up there again?" Katara raised a skeptical eyebrow and Mai offered a crooked half-smile in return, that quickly faded as she regarded the ever-growing mountain ahead of them. "Look, what I told you was true, we need to be seen cooperating. Well," she qualified, "I need to be seen with you more than you need to be seen with me. But the truth is, I want to see Lord Ozai. I want to ask him why he sent his own daughter out to be killed."

Katara blinked in surprise. "But he didn't, I mean, if he was the one who got her out then he did it so she could kill Zuko, not the other way around."

Mai shook her head. "_If_ he was the one? Come on, Katara, you and I both know who really pulls the strings in that prison. If we find anything out today, it'll be because he wants us to. And you're more naïve than I thought if you think Ozai really expected Azula to defeat Zuko, no matter how close or far she was to crazy by the time he helped her escape." She shook her head again. "Nope, he threw her to the wolves, and the only reason he didn't have her killed in prison was because he didn't want to get his hands dirty. That's why he never tried to kill Zuko directly, why he sent her after him when he was exiled instead."

"Wow," was all Katara could find to say as she sat back between her two silent guards once again. What did they think of this conversation? And what did it matter, since they would never tell her? She dismissed them for the moment to think over Mai's words. After a few minutes, she leaned forward once again. "If all this is true, then what's the point of us going here at all?"

Mai shrugged. "Because I could be wrong. Because the guards and the officers might not all be under Ozai's thumb. But mostly because I want to let him know that I know what he did to his own daughter, the one who was loyal to him to the point that it drove her mad, and that it won't be forgotten."

Katara felt a chill go over her spine at those words, at the look of burning intensity in Mai's eyes. "Azula put you in prison," she whispered.

"Because she thought I was turning on her," Mai countered, the fire subsiding, her voice once again cool and disinterested. "Because she was already losing it, only no one realized it until it was too late. I never hated her, and I never feared her as much as people seem to think I did. We were practically raised together, and I know how hard it hit her when she thought Zuko betrayed the family, and how happy she was when he joined her to try and defeat the Avatar that first time." She ignored Katara's frown; that wasn't exactly her happiest memory of Zuko, no matter how Azula felt about it. "So I want to talk to Lord Ozai, tell him exactly what I think of his manipulations and power grabs and the crappy way he treated his entire family. Anything else we learn is just…cake."

"We've arrived." Startled, Katara turned back to see that the driver was indeed pulling up to the massive gates that guarded the prison entrance. After being waved through, Katara looked back, fighting a shudder as the gates were pulled shut behind them.

The routine was almost the same, with some hard questions being asked of Lady Mai's presence; even with Katara vouching for her, the captain of the guards was reluctant to allow her entrance. "I'm sorry, Lady Katara," he apologized. "But word has it that Lady Mai's family is involved in the rebellion."

"Word travels fast," Katara commented, not really surprised that it had reached the prison ahead of them. "It's true, but the Lady Mai risked her freedom to bring us that news. She isn't a threat. If I felt so, would I allow her to travel with me here?" She stared at the captain until he lowered his eyes and finally bowed them past the first check-point.

"I really don't want to speak to Lord Ozai again," Katara confessed as they followed their escort down to the first prison levels. "Will you be all right if I just send one of my guards with you while I try to see if anyone will talk to me?" She'd sent a carefully worded statement by messenger hawk earlier in the day, to be read aloud to the prisoners: anyone who had any information, information that could be confirmed by an outside source, regarding Lady Ursa's poisoning or the previous poisoning of Lord Iroh, would be granted certain privileges until the information was confirmed. At that time, a full pardon would be granted and the prisoner released. She'd agonized over the wording of that statement, not wanting a flock of false informants who only wanted their freedom coming forward and wasting her time.

Nor did she want there to be a large gap of time between the offer and her own presence, fearing that someone would tell Lord Ozai what was going on, and that he would threaten or intimidate the other prisoners into silence.

Of course, with Mai's contention that not only were the other prisoners under Ozai's thumb, but also some or all of the guards as well, they could be deliberately putting themselves into danger just by being there. But Katara had to believe that wasn't true; if it was, then Ozai would have escaped by now and joined the rebels flying his banner in the north.

"I'll be fine." Mai's voice cut through Katara's conflicted thoughts. "I'll meet you at the front gate when you're done."

"What if I'm not done for hours?"

Mai offered one of her sardonic half-smiles. "You really think anyone's going to talk to you?" With those words, she turned and headed down the dark corridor, torch-light flickering her shadow in and out of existence, until she, her escort, and one of Katara's guards vanished around an unseen bend.

**oOo**

Katara drummed her fingers on the table, leaning her head on one hand. She'd been sitting in the small room for an hour, and had seen no one but her guard and the captain who had brought her here for most of that hour. The room was small, holding only a low wooden table and a pair of uncomfortable chairs, one of which she now occupied. Her guard stood stiffly in front of the door. Mai had poked her head in once, about fifteen minutes earlier, glanced around in exaggerated fashion, and asked: "No luck?"

"Not yet," Katara had replied, determinedly straightening her back and gazing directly into Mai's eyes. "But it hasn't been that long."

"Suit yourself," Mai replied with a dismissive shrug. "I'll be waiting in the cart."

"Wait, what did he say?" Katara was genuinely interested, not only for her own quest but for Mai's sake as well.

Mai stared at her for a long moment. "Nothing I didn't expect to hear," she finally replied. "And nothing that would help you." With those discouraging words, she left, the door closing ponderously behind her to shut with a muffled slam that echoed eerily through the small room.

Another fifteen minutes dragged by, and another, until a second hour passed. The captain of the guards returned to the room and offered Katara and her guard something to eat and drink. "Nothing fancy, I'm afraid, but it's warm and will help fight off the effects of the damp."

The steam coming off the soup had an enticing smell, as did the hot cups of tea that accompanied the simple noodle soup, and so Katara thanked him, without bothering to tell him how little the cold and damp affected her. "No one has come forward or asked to speak to me?"

He shook his head and offered an apologetic smile. "No one, my lady. May I ask how long you intend to wait?"

"As long as it takes," she replied firmly, then rethought her words. "Well, at least until two hours before dark. If I have to come back, I will."

"If you don't mind my saying so, what if no one comes forward?"

"Then I guess I'll have to pursue my other options," Katara replied, picking her words carefully. The young captain seemed honest enough, but it could be a front, and if he was reporting to Ozai, she wanted it to seem as if she had things more under control than she actually did. _A weakness to an enemy is like candy to a small child…irresistible,_ Uncle had once said. _Never_ _offer the one unless you want the other to make use of it._

The captain bowed. "Of course. I wish you success." He bowed his way back out of the room, leaving it up to her guard to close the door behind him.

Just as Katara was about to give up, long after the soup and tea were gone, the door opened once again. This time, however, it was a prison guard bringing along a manacled prisoner, head shaven, clothes dirty and clumsily mended, but his face and hands were clean. "This man says he has information for you," the guard announced. He shoved the prisoner towards the second chair, the one facing across the table. He took the seat, remaining silent until Katara dismissed the guard and the door slammed shut behind him.

"You have information for me? Something that can be backed up with proof?" Better to get that out of the way, Katara decided, rather than waiting until the information was offered. "Remember, the pardon is only good once I can prove what you tell me."

The prisoner stared at her out of empty eyes. "Proof? You'll never have that, Lady. Lord Ozai is far too careful. All I can offer you is the evidence of my words."

Katara stood up. "Then I'm afraid I can't help you."

The prisoner laughed, a bitter sound that echoed in the stone chamber. "You never could help me, Lady. Don't you understand that just by coming to you, I'm a dead man?"

Katara slowly sat back down. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," he replied. "Just by meeting with you, I've signed my own death warrant. I'll be dead before morning, that's guaranteed, whether I tell you anything more or not. Lord Ozai will see to that. Even if you took me from this place today, I still wouldn't be safe, and neither would my family. All I want from you is protection for them."

"I'm listening," Katara replied, her head spinning. She hadn't anticipated this, and she should have. Unless of course the man was exaggerating the danger he faced, but somehow she didn't think so. "What's your name?" she asked abruptly. She couldn't keep thinking of him as "the prisoner."

"My name is Lao Tsong-Gao, and I'm a political prisoner. I was sentenced for treason on trumped-up charges a year before the Avatar defeated Lord Ozai and stripped him of his Fire Bending ability, but I was unable to prove that to the satisfaction of the tribunal Fire Lord Zuko set up to investigate such things." He held up a hand at Katara's protesting look. "I don't blame him, he had to be sure he wasn't setting loose dangerous criminals, and everyone here claims innocence whether it's true or not. I'm not asking you to believe me, all I want is for my family to escape any vengeance Lord Ozai may attempt."

"How?" Katara asked, brow wrinkled in puzzlement. This interview wasn't going anywhere near where she'd expected it to.

"Help them to move, give them new names and perhaps some money to help them begin new lives. I have a wife, Lady, and two children, a boy and a girl. Mei-Mei is five now, and Iniro is almost seven. I don't want them to die."

"I can take care of them for you," Katara found herself saying, horrified at the thought of such young children being killed or injured. "I give my word."

"Thank you." Lao fell silent for a moment, gnawing on a thumbnail before speaking again. His manacles clanked as he lowered his hands back down to the table. "Lord Ozai is responsible for the Lady Azula's release. He was also the one responsible for seeing that Lady Ursa was poisoned, although he never specifically said it should be her; he only said that someone in the palace needed their diet 'enhanced.'."

"How do you know all this?" Katara demanded, upset at the confirmation of Mai's words, and her own fears.

"He is given free reign of this prison on days when certain guards are in charge, and I overheard him giving the order," Lao replied. "He's working directly with the rebels in the north, the ones Lord Zuko is facing, using them to try and overthrow his son."

"If he can do all this, then why is he still here?" Katara demanded, skepticism winning out over her desire to believe this stranger. And she did want to believe him, he seemed sincere, and nothing he was telling her could possibly be of benefit to him. He wasn't demanding his freedom, he wasn't asking anything of her that she couldn't or wouldn't do, but she had to remember the stakes.

"Because no one suspects him this way," Lao replied promptly. "What better way to remain behind the scenes then to be considered a helpless prisoner? Just because he lost his Fire Bending doesn't mean everyone abandoned him." He smiled bitterly. "There are far too many who still believe that the Fire Nation is destined to rule the world, that the Avatar cheated them of that destiny, many of them nobility who come secretly to consult with Lord Ozai."

"On certain days," Katara guessed, and Lao nodded.

"On certain days," he agreed. "I could tell you which ones, but it would do you no good; by the time you have brought in soldiers to arrest the guards who work for Ozai, they will have mysteriously vanished." Nevertheless, he gave Katara a list of names. She fully intended to order an investigation of the prison, but suspected Lao was right; once she left this place today, things would happen, men would vanish, and possibly Lord Ozai himself would be gone. She could order him brought back to the palace, but such arrangements would take time; there was no way any of the guards would release the prisoner to her and Mai with only two guards and a two-hour journey during which anything could happen.

"I don't suppose you could give me names of Ozai's visitors as well?" Katara asked, not surprised when Lao shook his head.

"They come in disguise; only the quality of their clothing and speech gives them away." He slumped in his chair. "And that is all I can tell you."

Katara nodded. "Thank you." She hesitated. "Are you sure you want to stay here? I know I said I'd have to have proof to pardon you, but I believe you. I could take you with me."

Lao shook his head and rose to his feet. "I thank you for the offer, but if I allowed you to take me away, Lord Ozai would order my family's immediate death. If I stay, he may be content to take his anger out on me alone." He bowed formally, then walked with silent dignity to the door, waiting patiently for Katara's guard to open it and give him over to the custody of the prison guard waiting on the other side.

Katara came to her feet as well. "I guess we'd better go," she said to her guard. She would have to insist they tell her their names; it didn't seem fair that she knew more about a prisoner than about the two men who were protecting her. "I don't suppose you'd like to offer your opinion of Lao's honesty."

"I believe he was telling you the truth." Katara stumbled to a halt on her way to the door, staring at her guard in shock. His mouth was once again clamped shut, but he met her gaze for the first time, then gravely opened the door and proceeded her out into the now empty hall. Katara was still reeling from the fact that he'd not only spoken, but had answered a direct question…not incidentally confirming her own assessment of the situation.

Mai was sitting on the front seat of the cart, talking to the deaf driver in finger language while the second guard sat stoically behind her. He came to his feet as the other two approached them, and Mai called out: "How'd it go?"

Katara climbed wearily into the cart and plopped down on the seat Mai had previously occupied, waiting as Mai nimbly jumped from her higher perch to sit near the other girl. The two guards had also taken their seats, and the driver clucked to the patiently waiting beasts to turn the vehicle around and start the journey home before Katara replied. "It went…weird." She turned her head to face the prison as it receded behind them. "I think I left a man to die, but he wouldn't come with me because he was afraid his family would die in his place if he did."

Mai raised an expressive eyebrow as Katara related the entire conversation to her, not including her guard's agreement that Lao was telling the truth. That was private, as far as she was concerned, and besides, she didn't want to discourage him from offering his opinion in the future. Mai offered her own assessment: "He's not lying. I told you Ozai was running this place."

Katara shrugged. "I'll send soldiers and arrange to have him sent to another prison. If," she added in frustration, "he's still there by the time I can get things set up." It would take the Council's agreement for any such arrangement to be made, and she anticipated a lot of resistance to such a plan, both from those who secretly sympathized and those who would be unwilling to take the word of a mere prisoner. Especially one who was in prison for treason.

Especially from one who, by his own assessment, would be dead before morning. She shuddered, wishing she'd insisted that he come with them.

"Lao made the right decision," Mai said, accurately reading the uncertainty and regret on Katara's face. "If he'd come with us, it wouldn't change anything. Someone would find a way to kill him, and his family would pay as well. Why do you think they've been left alive this long, why they weren't imprisoned with him? To keep him in line. Only now he decided to take a chance." An unwilling tone of admiration colored her voice. "Because of you. Because he believed you could do something to help him. Which is exactly what you agreed to do. I wouldn't have done it," she finished abruptly. "Not without proof. For all we know, he really did commit treason. And a traitor, a _real_ traitor, isn't worth saving."

"So you think I was wrong to agree to help his family?" Katara was compelled to ask.

"I didn't say that. I just said I'd have handled it differently," Mai replied. "We're different people, and always will be." With that, she turned deliberately to look out at the road behind them.

Katara leaned back, knowing when she'd been dismissed, and brooded over the events of the day. Whether it would prove helpful or not, only time would tell. At least she had something to follow up on, a direction to go.

She only hoped she hadn't made things worse.


	27. You Have My Complete Attention

**Somewhere to the North**

"Soo…Twinkle Toes. Why so quiet?"

Toph turned her sightless eyes in Aang's direction, tilting her head up to do so. He was sitting cross-legged on the boulder she was leaning against, and she could tell by the quality of his silence that he was brooding. Again. She dug her toes deeper into the loam, taking comfort in the feel of the earth beneath her feet.

She felt him shrug. "Because we're supposed to be hidden, and I don't want anyone to hear us?" The tone of voice made it a question, one she supposed he wanted her to accept as an answer.

Of course, he was sadly mistaken. "Come on, we both know I'll feel anybody coming long before they could come close to hearing us. Tell the truth. You're thinking about Sugar Queen again."

There was no question in her voice whatsoever. Aang let forth a long-suffering sigh, as much at her ability to pierce to the heart of the matter as because of exasperation. Why couldn't she just let him brood in peace? Exasperation was voiced as peevishness as he said, "Yeah? So what if I am? What, I'm not allowed to have feelings for her anymore? You said you know what it's like to love someone who doesn't love you back, I thought you'd be more understanding."

Toph stood up and glared at him through sightless gray eyes. "Understanding, yeah. Tolerant, no. When I told you to get over it, I wasn't just being flip, I really meant it. You have to get yourself out of this funk, Aang, or you'll spend the rest of your life wanting something you can never have. And that would really, really stink."

"I was just thinking about how sweet it was to kiss Katara, how it always made me a little dizzy. I always thought she felt the same…until the first time I saw her kiss Zuko." Aang's lips tightened. "She never kissed me like that."

"I've never been kissed at all," Toph abruptly confessed. Aang stared down at her in surprise as she turned her head to the side, embarrassed by her own confession. "Well, it's not like I've had a lot of chances," she continued defensively, suddenly desperate to fill the incredulous silence, even if only with babble worthy of Sokka. She turned her head back in Aang's direction, her sightless gaze accidentally meeting his. "There's only one person I ever wanted to kiss, well, maybe besides Sokka when I was crushing on him, and you know how that worked out. Not at all."

"That doesn't mean it never will," Aang replied. He scooted down off the boulder to stand next to Toph, impulsively taking her hand in his. If he noticed her sudden intake of breath, he ignored it in his eagerness to offer some kind of hope for one of them. "Did you ever tell him how you felt?"

Struck dumb for once in her life, Toph shook her head. Aang squeezed her fingers gently, encouragingly. "Well, maybe you should. Unless he's married or d--didn't make it through the war or something?" He gulped and stumbled to a verbal halt, mentally berating himself for almost using the word "dead" in this context.

Toph pulled her fingers free of his, tucking her hands under her arms defensively. "He isn't married, he isn't with anyone, and he isn't dead."

When she fell silent again, Aang decided to try and be more encouraging. "Is it anyone I know?"

Toph could practically feel him mentally ticking through everyone they knew. "It's not Sokka, it's not Zuko, it's definitely not Uncle Iroh. Or his crazy brother. Or a _girl_," she added scornfully.

"I never thought it was," Aang lied hastily; he would never confess that thought had crossed his mind once or twice. There had been many times when Toph seemed more like a boy than a girl, and it occurred to him that she hadn't exhibited any of her less ladylike habits since this most recent reunion; no belching or spitting or scratching. "So who is it, then? Or is it a secret?"

"Of course it's a secret, Aang, or I would have told someone already. Why can't you just let it go?" Toph turned to storm away, only to be stopped by Aang's hand on her wrist.

"I can't just let it go, when it's obviously hurting you. Just like you won't let it go, telling me to get over Katara. That's what friends do, they help each other," Aang said earnestly.

That was it; Toph couldn't take it any more. She yanked her hand out of Aang's loose grip and whirled to face him, poking him in the chest. "Friends? I have plenty of friends," she hissed. "What I want is…"

"What?" Aang asked, irritation winning out over confusion as she fell silent. "What do you want?"

"This," Toph announced as she lunged forward and grabbed a double handful of his tunic, tugging him forward, ignoring his startled cry of protest. Before the protest could become more than verbal, she pressed her lips against his; when that didn't seem like enough, she parted her lips and pulled him closer, pressing her body against his and deepening the kiss, instinct winning out over inexperience.

Aang couldn't breathe, couldn't hear for the sudden pounding of blood in his ears. His eyes closed, his lips parted, and his tongue delved into the unexpected hunger of Toph's kiss. He'd always thought of her as hard, spiky, a lot like her element, but she was soft and warm and fit in his arms so comfortably it felt as if she was always meant to be there.

_Kissing Katara never felt like this,_ he thought numbly. Made him dizzy, yes, and filled him with happiness, but never this overpowering hunger for more. He blinked as Toph abruptly pulled away from him. They were both breathing heavily, and he knew Toph could feel the pounding of his heart. Just as he opened his mouth to say…something, he wasn't sure what, Toph stiffened. She tilted her head as if listening, her mouth tightening into a frown.

"Someone's coming. A lot of someones."


	28. Forward Movement

**oOo**

A knock on the door interrupted Zuko's most recent attempt at carving the Water Tribe symbol, this time on a large block of practice wood. With a muttered curse, he dropped the knife so that it stuck, vibrating slightly, in the worn wood of the table, then stood up. "Come in!" He knew from experience that it couldn't be Sokka, who seemed terminally unable to understand the concept of knocking. Or privacy. Or boundaries.

A soldier opened the door, bowed deeply. "Fire Lord, the signal has been given. Someone is coming."

"Finally," Zuko breathed. He straightened to his full height. "Full Council meeting. Tell everyone to meet me immediately."

The guard bowed again and left to pass the word. Zuko fussed with his uniform for a moment, debating whether he should change into his formal robes, then decided against it. This was a military matter, and he wanted to reinforce the idea that, as Fire Lord, he was as much a military leader as a civilian one. Some of his generals seemed to forget that, mostly, he suspected, because of his age. This situation should take care of any misgivings they might have. As long as it went well, of course. Any other outcome was unacceptable.

He reached the meeting room ahead of everyone else, and was seated calmly at the head of the table as the others started filing in, a mixture of tension and excitement fighting the stoicism the councilors generally wore in his presence. Only Uncle allowed his elation to show, gleefully rubbing his hands together and smiling and bowing to everyone as they entered after him. "So, nephew, the time has come," he murmured to Zuko as he took the seat to his right. "Handle this properly, and you cement your power for good."

"Handle it improperly and the rebellion spreads," Zuko continued the thought just as quietly. Iroh nodded soberly, and Zuko turned his attention back to the men sitting around the table. Sokka came panting in at the last minute, his grin almost as big as Iroh's, but he stifled it when he saw the grim looks everyone else had managed to don in the meantime.

Zuko stood and waited till everyone had fallen silent. "This is it," he announced softly. "We either negotiate an end to this insane rebellion, or we fight our own people for the first time in generations. I hope it won't come to that, but I'm prepared to do it if necessary. I need to know that you are all in agreement with me on this."

"Isn't it a little late to be asking that?" Sokka put in. "I mean, with all due respect, Fire Lord Zuko." He couldn't help smirking a little as he said it, but he knew how important it was that he show full support for Zuko even with those supposedly loyal to his future brother-in-law.

"Everyone here has to understand the magnitude of what could happen today," Zuko replied soberly. "I can't afford to have at my side anyone who harbors doubts about how far we might need to go."

General Tsing stood up. "Fire Lord, we all understand that we might have to take arms against our brothers. But they have threatened the stability of our nation, and that cannot be allowed." He bowed and retook his seat.

Zuko looked around one last time, gauging the determination he saw. With a nod, he, too, sat down. "Then let's see what the delegation has to say. We'll go forward from there."

**oOo**

Toph held grimly to Aang's hand as he raced through the forest, heading back to Zuko's airship at top speed. She easily navigated the dense underbrush, feeling every obstacle before it could hinder their progress, but Aang had grabbed her hand and pulled her along as soon as they determined that it wasn't just a delegation headed their way, it felt like a full army, vehicles as well as men thundering towards them. And she for one wasn't about to turn her nose up at Aang's chivalry, not when it might be the last time he ever touched her. Especially after she'd gone and done something as stupid as kissing him.

Oh sure, his heartbeat had increased and he hadn't pushed her away, but she hadn't had enough time to tell if he was excited or angry with her before they were interrupted. For once, she grumbled to herself at the poor timing of the enemy.

After Aang had sent Momo soaring upwards to alert the ship, he'd sent the little creature back to wait for them. And now they were on their way, trying desperately to keep ahead of the rapidly approaching forces. "We have to warn them it's not just a bunch of diplomats," Aang had panted, and Toph had nodded her agreement. That was when he grabbed her hand and started running.

The clearing at the top of the cliff was just ahead of them; she could sense the open area where the trees abruptly ended, and grinned at the thought of being able to run full-tilt across the rocky ground in order to reach the airship.

Then something dropped on her from above, something heavy that dragged her to the ground, tangled her feet, and, before she could do more than raise some stones and aim them at her presumed captor, she was knocked unconscious. The last thing she felt was her hand pulling away from Aang's, the last thing she heard was his despairing cry as she tumbled into darkness.


	29. Something Wicked

**The Palace – One Week Later**

"I'm sorry, Lady Katara, there's still no news, either from the north or regarding Lord Ozai's escape."

Katara bit her lip in frustration, but held back the sigh she could feel building in her chest as she nodded and allowed the messenger to leave the room. Only after he was gone and the door closed firmly behind him did she allow more visible signs of her frustration to show. The sigh made its way free from her lips; when that proved unhelpful, she picked up a pillow, tossed it into the air, and kicked it into pieces. Standing in a shower of feathers, she sank to her haunches and tugged at her hair.

A quiet knock at the door brought her quickly to her feet, but no attempt at a serene expression and a calm pose was going to do anything to disguise the shower of white feathers still wafting in the air. When Suki opened the door and poked her head in, her startled glance took in the scene and she quickly closed the door behind her. "I know how you feel," was all she said as she crossed the room to stand at Katara's side. "Still no news?"

Katara shook her head, then pulled Suki over to sit next to her on the bed. Then she sprang back to her feet, too restless to sit. For the first time since she'd arrived in the Fire Nation, she felt her room was too small. "How can there be no news from the north?" she finally exploded after a few agitated minutes of pacing. "I can understand why we haven't been able to capture Ozai or even know anything about how he escaped or where he went, but how can an entire army go missing?"

"They're not missing, they're incommunicado," Suki pointed out, attempting reason when it was obvious Katara was operating strictly on emotions. "There's a big difference." She winced and rubbed her belly. "Hush, little one," she crooned. "No kicking mommy. Daddy will be here soon."

Katara felt instant remorse for taking her frustrations out on Suki. She rushed to her sister-in-law's side and sat next to her, gently pressing her own fingers against the other woman's belly. A belly that seemed to have grown even more since she'd last seen her two days before. "You should be resting in your house!" she exclaimed. "Not trying to calm me down." She smiled wryly. "Although I'm grateful you did."

"Good, then my work here is done," Suki grinned, relieved that the tension Katara had been practically vibrating with had eased. "We both know there's nothing we can do, whether we hear from the north or not." Her grin widened. "Hey, I got a message from the Kyoshi warriors, they'll be here any day!"

"That's great," Katara replied, but with less enthusiasm than Suki had hoped for. Of course, with everything weighing on both their minds, she wasn't surprised. "Their quarters are all ready, and of course Ty Lee can have her old rooms back if she wants them."

That brought an honest giggle. "You mean, if my girls are sick of her being so perky all the time and want some space for a while," she corrected.

Katara joined in the giggle, and the two friends spent an enjoyable few minutes gossiping about the other Kyoshi warriors. Suki was relieved to have found a way to get Katara's mind off things, even if only for a short time. A week was a long time with no news, especially when messenger hawks were dispatched every day. The fact that none were returning was ominous enough to set the Council to muttering. The reserve troops were on high alert, and an airship would be dispatched if another few days passed, but that didn't make it any easier on the rest of them forced to wait and wonder.

Katara didn't want to admit it, but she was relieved to hear that Suki's warriors would be joining them soon. With Ozai out doing who-knew-what, she'd feel a lot safer with the extra security they represented. Their loyalty to Suki was unquestionable, with the possible exception of Ty Lee. But after all this time, it was hard to doubt her; she'd never shown any signs of discontent, or so Suki had said.

"Should we worry about Ty Lee?" she asked abruptly.

Suki sighed inwardly. So much for getting Katara's mind off things. Oh well, at least she'd managed it for a few precious seconds. "No, she's completely loyal, to the Kyoshi warriors and to Zuko. He's the Fire Lord; she'd never betray him."

Katara didn't look convinced, but as Suki stood up and laid her hand on the other woman's arm, her fingers clutching Katara's sleeve as a sudden contraction rippled across her abdomen. She grunted in pain, squeezing her eyes shut tightly until the moment passed.

"Wow," she managed to gasp out as Katara helped her back to the bed, anxiously fluffing pillows and raising Suki's feet on the unused blankets folded at end. "I've had what the midwife calls 'practice contractions' before, but that one felt worse. It felt…real." She turned anxious eyes on her friend. "Katara, maybe I'd better see one of the Court Physicians, it's way too early for the baby to co—ugh!" She raised her head from the pillow and clutched at the sheets as a second contraction contorted her body. She fell back against the bed, gasping, as Katara rushed to the door.

"Get Chief Physician Urdai, quickly! And the midwife, tell them it's Suki. Hurry!" She hurried back to the bed, not bothering to see if her orders were followed. The sound of pounding feet gave her all the answer she needed as she took Suki's hand in hers and brushed her friend's hair away from her forehead. She was sweating, feverish, and alarmingly pale. "Let me get you a cloth for your forehead, do you want something to drink?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though her pulse was hammering almost as heavily as Suki's.

Suki shook her head. "No, thanks. Just…don't leave me, okay?" She sounded lost, frightened, not at all like herself.

"Of course I'll stay," Katara said soothingly. Suki was holding her hand tightly, and she scanned the room for…there, a pitcher of water over by the window. She awkwardly brought a stream of it over and doused the hem of her skirt, for lack of anything better within reach, hitching it up enough to wipe Suki's sweat-stained brow. Was it always like this? It had come on so suddenly, out of nowhere. Katara fretted internally while trying her best to keep a calm demeanor.

She waited tensely by Suki's side as the contractions came and went at uneven intervals, never lasting longer than a minute but each time seeming to cause her more pain. Every time she allowed a moan to escape she looked furious with herself, and Katara took a second to scold her for trying to be stoic during such an ordeal.

"Kyoshi warriors don't cry like babies over a little thing like contractions," Suki ground out through gritted teeth. But she clenched Katara's hand tighter, and her sister-in-law had to bite her own lip to keep from crying out in pain.

It was with a great deal of relief that Katara heard the patter of rapidly-approaching feet. Chief Physician Urdai strode into the room, the midwife (what was her name? Sikifa? Safika?) hard on his heels. She bustled over to Suki's side, gently removing her death-grip from Katara's hand. "Please wait outside while we examine her, Lady Katara," the midwife said courteously, but something about those softly spoken words made Katara leap obediently to her feet, although she hesitated by the doorway for a moment.

Urdai turned to offer a reassuring smile. "Please, do as Midwife Sifoka says," he asked. "We'll call you as soon as we know anything, or if we need your assistance."

_Sifoka, that was her name,_ was all Katara could think as she nodded dumbly and stumbled out the door. Urdai closed it firmly behind her, and she stood in the hall, clutching her elbows and staring at the wood as if she could bore a hole though it with her eyes and see what was happening.

She barely glanced at the two men standing on either side of that door; she'd become so used to her guards and their silent vigilance over the past week and a half that it took her a fatal moment to realize that it wasn't them. Before she could do more than open her mouth to shout for help, they were on her, a gloved hand shoved against her lips, other hands throwing her to the ground; one of the imposters holding her arms as she writhed and kicked while the second reached into the pouch at his waist and wrestled out a small vial. He wrenched the stopper out with his teeth, spitting it aside as he waved the open vial under her nose, holding her head still until the fumes did their work and she dropped into unconsciousness.

Occupied with the woman writhing in pain on the bed before them, neither Urdai nor Sifoka heard the muffled thumps that were all the noise Katara's kidnappers made. Once Suki was given medication to ease the contractions and Urdai was ready to readmit Katara, the only sign of a struggle was a scrap torn from her dress and the cork stopper he nearly stepped on as he exited the room.


	30. Anonymous Threats Suck

**North – Two Days Later**

_Surrender yourself and the Avatar or they both die._

Another anonymous threat, only this time it wasn't one that could be ignored or put off. Without a word, Zuko handed the message to Aang, who read it slowly, once, twice, before looking up with a frown. "What do they mean, both? Did they take someone besides Toph?"

Toph had been missing for over a week now, and Aang had been unconscious or bed-ridden for most of that week, both from the blow he'd taken to the head when Toph was kidnapped and from afterwards. When Appa showed up out of nowhere and sort of sat on him, bellowing, until Zuko, Sokka and the troops arrived to chase away the rebel soldiers who'd been trying to get their hands on him.

Aang was just now up and moving, his head still bandaged, still limping a little, but fully alert and aware now, the fever completely gone. Aware enough to have realized something had happened to him, to badger Sokka into admitting that Toph had been taken captive and that, so far, they hadn't heard anything from the rebels since that first attack. So he'd sought out Zuko, demanded to know what was happening, and been handed the note he'd just read. He braced himself for more bad news.

"Just before this was delivered," Zuko slapped the message in Aang's hand, his face expressionless, his voice flat, "a messenger hawk was found, one of the palace birds."

"Found?" Aang asked cautiously, his heart sinking. "Found where?"

"Found floating in the ocean near the troop ship. Dead. Strangled, to be exact. But the message was intact. Katara's been kidnapped."

Aang felt dizzy; only Zuko's hand on his arm kept him steady enough to totter over to a chair and sink into it. "Toph and Katara?" he whispered. "How did they capture them both?" He looked up at Zuko, eyes full of despair. "They took them because Appa kept them from getting me, didn't they."

Zuko shook his head. "Maybe they would have let Toph go if they got you, but I doubt it. The trap was set with an Earth Bender in mind. Now that we've had time to check it over, we discovered that whoever took her did it by snatching her up in a net of some kind, tangling her up, possibly knocking her out, and definitely separating her from her element. They intended to take her whether they got you or not."

"And Katara?"

"Yeah, what about my sister?" To no one's surprise, Sokka barged his way into what was supposed to be a private meeting between Avatar and Fire Lord. "They brought that dead hawk then that message arrived and you two have been holed up while the rest of us twiddle our thumbs. Well, not me, not one minute longer! What about my sister?"

"She was kidnapped."

Sokka seemed to shrink at Zuko's bald statement, all bluster and bravado gone. "Kidnapped?" he whispered, stumbling backward until he bumped up against the chair next to Aang's. He plopped into it, staring at Zuko in numb disbelief. "By who?"

"Judging by this message, by someone working for the same people who took Toph." Before Sokka could do more than open his mouth, he added: "Suki and the baby are okay, Sokka. Apparently someone gave her something to make it seem like she was going into early labor. The doctor and the midwife were with her and Katara was waiting in the hall when she disappeared. The guards I assigned to her were found dead in her rooms," he added grimly. "My guess is two other men impersonated them, and before she realized it, they took her."

Aang was about to blast Zuko for his apparent lack of emotion, then he saw what the Fire Lord was trying so desperately to hide: his fear for both missing women, but especially Katara. "Don't blame yourself," Aang said instead. "If you brought her, they probably would have found a way to take her anyway." _Just like Toph_, his mind whispered, and guilt clenched his heart. How could he convince Zuko he wasn't responsible for Katara's kidnapping when he was busy blaming himself for letting Toph be taken?

"The message that the hawk was carrying also said my father had escaped from prison," Zuko said, ignoring Aang's attempt at comfort. "That can't be a coincidence."

"So what do we do?" Aang asked glumly. "Give ourselves up?"

"The only thing that'll accomplish is getting them killed, and probably you two as well." Sokka the tactician was back, all business, emotion put aside for the moment. Knowing that Suki and the baby were all right had steadied him, but he was still frantic with worry for his sister. Or at least, he would be once he was left to his own devices again. "Is that the ransom they demanded, you two?" Zuko nodded. "Right. So let's think about this before we do anything. Did they give us a time frame, a meeting place, anything?"

Zuko shook his head and handed Sokka the note. He read it over quickly, then snorted and tossed it back to the Fire Lord. "Great. Useless. They can't possibly expect you two to just stroll off the airship and into the forest, so that means they'll be communicating with us again. How did this note arrive?"

"By messenger hawk," Zuko replied, eyes narrowing. "What are you thinking, Sokka?"

"I'm thinking we have a couple of flying critters that could easily follow a messenger hawk back to wherever it came from," Sokka said thoughtfully, staring off into a distance only he could see. "Appa's a bit big but Momo's harder to spot." Mumbling to himself, he jumped up from his seat and started pacing back and forth across the small conference room.

Zuko was itching to spring into action, any action, but wisely forced himself to sit next to Aang on the seat Sokka had just vacated. When Sokka got like this, he usually came up with something useful if left alone to thrash it out inside his own head.


	31. Pep Talk

**Elsewhere**

"Hey, Sugar Queen, how ya feeling?"

Katara groaned and rolled to her side, then pulled herself to her knees, head hanging limply, hair dragging on the ground. That obnoxiously cheerful voice could only belong to one person. "T-toph?" she asked before collapsing into a coughing fit.

"The one and only," Toph replied as soon as the coughing stopped. Still obnoxious, still cheerful. But very far away, now that Katara could hear her clearly. "Up here," she added helpfully as Katara managed a sitting position and looked around.

Katara cranked her neck back and opened her eyes wide when she realized she was in a deep pit in the ground, and that Toph was caged in a net of ropes hanging far above her. The other girl's hands were tied to the netting, and her feet were encased in a thick pair of boots, tightly bound and rising up over her knees. "Toph? Are you all right?"

"Never better, sweetness," came the sarcastic response. "Just hunky dory. How 'bout you?"

"How did you know it was me?" Katara asked as her foggy thoughts started to clear themselves.

"Hmm, good question since I can't see up here," Toph replied with mock-thoughtfulness. "I could tell you that one of the guards called you 'Zuko's water-bending whore' before lowering you into the pit, but that might hurt your feelings. So I'll just pretend one of them called you by name instead."

Ouch. Toph was certainly in fine form, not that Katara could blame her. She tried a different tack. "Where are we?"

She looked around as she asked, moving her arms experimentally and trying a few elemental Bending moves. As expected, nothing. Not a drop of moisture within reach, certainly nothing she could use to help herself or Toph. The ground beneath her was sand, the pit itself lined with wood but open to the air. She could just see the tree Toph's prison was suspended from, a towering hardwood she couldn't identify, but she suspected it would turn out to be one that didn't require a lot of water. Even the air felt dry, and she knew it wasn't just the lingering effects of whatever drug had been administered to knock her out.

"Don't know. Somewhere north, cause I wasn't out that long and they didn't take me that far. But they didn't get Aang," Toph added, a note of true emotion peeping through the false cheer: relief, Katara thought. "They were grumbling about that. After I got grabbed and knocked out, I guess Appa showed up and squished a few of their guys, then Zuko got there and chased them away before they could finish the big lug off. Or get Aang." The relief was stronger now, laced with something a lot like affection, and Katara found herself wondering just how close Toph and Aang had been getting during this trip. Then she shook the thought off; now certainly wasn't the time for anything like that.

"Do you know how long you've been here?"

Toph attempted a shrug that did little more than set her prison rocking. "About a week. They feed me and give me water and let me back-talk them without hitting me, so I guess they want me to live a little longer." She scowled. "One of them tried to cop a feel, and his buddy almost pushed him out of my little home away from home, so that's something. I'm guessing it's so they can show how undamaged I am when Zuko or Aang finally give themselves up to save me. Us," she corrected herself with a deep frown. "I know when I'm being used as bait as well as a hostage."

"So do I," Katara replied grimly. "Did you ever get our messages that Mai's father was part of this rebellion? Or that Lord Ozai escaped?"

"Sounds like we have a lot to tell each other," Toph replied. "Sparky's father being loose is a bad thing. How did you find out about Mai's dad?"

"Mai came to the palace to warn us," Katara replied.

"Or to set you up," Toph replied. Katara opened her mouth to protest, then closed it slowly. It made too much sense, but she clung to the hope that Toph was wrong. If Mai was behind her kidnapping, then she must know that she'd be the first person suspected; if she left the palace the same time Katara disappeared, that would prove her guilt. Of course, there was no way for Katara to know what had happened after she was attacked by those fake guards; the best she could do for now would be to fill Toph in.

**oOo**

"Okay, I have an idea," Sokka announced after an hour of pacing and muttering to himself. Aang had fallen into a light doze; he started and straightened himself as he realized Sokka was talking to them. "Let me fill you in."

After what could only be construed as a dramatic pause, Zuko sighed and asked the question Sokka was obviously waiting to hear. "What's your idea?"

"You two offer to trade yourselves for Toph and Katara."

Zuko and Aang stared at him as if he'd gone mad. "Are you crazy?" Zuko finally demanded. "You said that would just get them and us killed!"

"Right, but that's not how this is going to end." Sokka suddenly sounded very, very serious. "First we scout out their location by having Momo follow the messenger hawk when we return it with a note asking them for details on the rendezvous. When he gets back, we pretend to surrender you two, only of course we'll be following you. Well," he corrected himself, "not following, actually, since we'll be coming in from the opposite direction before you actually get there."

Zuko frowned. "I think I see where you're going," he said after a moment, leaning forward in his chair. "But what if they spot you?"

"I plan to let them," Sokka announced. "The first group, anyway. They'll be expecting us to try something, so we need to let them think they've caught us."

A slow grin spread across Zuko's face. "It just might work. Who do you want in the first group?"

He and Aang listened intently as Sokka outlined the rest of the plan, both feeling a sense of optimism for the first time since Toph had been taken. Whatever else he was, Sokka was definitely the man with the plan when it came to crunch time, Zuko found himself thinking with something approaching admiration. And he thought _his_ family had cornered the market on strategizing.

That thought brought another frown to his face, and he interrupted Sokka as he was enthusiastically using his arms to demonstrate a pincer motion. "We can't forget that my father has escaped," he reminded the other two grimly. "If the rebels have Katara, chances are he's up here as well. After all, this whole rebellion started in the name of the Phoenix King." He spat the title out disgustedly. "Even if he can't Fire Bend, he's still a threat with a lot of influence."

"Okay, so we'll have to rethink a few things," Sokka replied after a pause. "We should talk to General Tsing and the councilors, get their opinions of what Lord Ozai might do."

"Kill us all," Zuko replied grimly as he came to his feet and led the other two out of the room. "Aang, don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes I wish the Avatar had finished him off."

"Sometimes I do too," Aang admitted quietly. "But I know I made the right choice."

Zuko sighed. "I know you did too. I was just wishing he wasn't my problem. But he is, and this time, I have to be the one to deal with him."

Aang and Sokka traded concerned glances, but followed Zuko down the narrow corridor. He hadn't sounded so bleak since he'd been forced to kill his sister.

And both secretly feared he would be forced to do the same to his father.


	32. Q and A

**The Palace**

"Lady Ursa, I must protest!"

"We all must do what we must," was the mild response. "Right now, I must see the prisoner, and you must protest, but you must also," a hint of steel entered her voice, "take me there. Now."

Councilor Uryios bowed in defeat; when the Lady Ursa used that tone, no one argued. He rose with as much dignity as he could muster while still scowling in disapproval, then started down the hall that led to the entrance to the dungeons. Lord Ozai had spent almost six months there before being transferred to the supposedly much more secure fortress-prison, but this prisoner would be remaining where she was until Fire Lord Zuko's return. He would want to question her himself if the Lady Katara wasn't located before then.

They arrived at the heavy metal door, where he offered the correct password, although not before hesitating. Lady Ursa, as she'd already pointed out, had every right to question the person who was presumed responsible for the disappearance of her son's beloved, but she was still recovering from the mysterious illness that had struck her just before the Fire Lord headed north. The Chief Physician would no doubt have something to say about the matter, but Ursa herself had forbidden Uryios from telling him. And he wasn't brave enough to go behind her back.

Ursa swept past him, nodding regally to the two guards, who bowed respectfully in return. Uryios made as if to follow her, but she stopped him with a single upraised hand. "No, Uryios. I must speak to her alone."

"Please, Lady, you know how the Fire Lord will react when he hears I allowed you to put yourself into more danger!"

"I hardly think I'm in danger from this particular prisoner," Ursa replied dryly. "You have her chained, locked up in a cell, and guarded twenty-four hours a day both inside and outside the dungeon itself. Please, return to your duties. I will inform you when this interview is complete."

Uryios nodded, then watched unhappily as she disappeared down the staircase. The guard preceding her made sure the steep stairs were well lit, holding a steady gold flame in one upraised hand. She followed him, moving with a dainty grace down the stone steps, not looking back once. As she disappeared around a curve, Uryios stepped back, allowing the guards to close the heavy metal door behind her. Then he sighed and plodded back to his chambers, to wait and fidget until he heard she was safely back in her own rooms.

**oOo**

"Well, Mai, this isn't quite how I envisioned our first meeting since your return."

"Lady Ursa," Mai's voice held surprise and a hint of disapproval as she turned to see who her visitor might be. "You shouldn't be down here." She shrugged and turned away. "I'm a dangerous traitor, haven't you heard?"

Ursa sat down on the stone bench placed just outside the metal bars of the small cell that held her son's former betrothed, studying her closely. Mai was chained by the hands and ankles so she could only shuffle forward a few feet, enough to sit on the identical bench inside the small stone room, enough to allow her to reach the crude toilet and sink and the narrow cot for sleeping against the far wall. "Are they treating you well? I know Zuko has made many changes in policy regarding questioning prisoners…"

"I'm fine." Mai spoke with the same inflection as if she were discussing the weather rather than her personal well being, and Ursa knew enough to let it go. "You didn't come down here just to check up on me."

Ursa sighed. "Mai, I wanted to visit you as soon as I heard you'd been arrested, but with Zuko gone and Katara missing, things have been a bit chaotic." She leaned forward slightly. "Mai, please, if you know anything about what happened to Katara, you must tell me. If you don't know anything," Ursa paused, then made sure she made direct eye contact with the younger woman. "then tell me that as well. I promise to believe you, and so will Zuko, when he returns."

Mai returned the gaze, nodding slowly. "I know you will. And I believe Zuko will as well, but unfortunately he's not here, and I assume you don't have the authority to order my release even if you do believe me."

Ursa shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I don't. We're at war, we haven't heard from my son in over a week, and Suki was poisoned just to create a distraction so someone could take Katara."

"How is Suki? And the baby?"

Ursa hid a small smile. Mai still sounded as she always had, slightly bored and as emotionless as a stone, but just by asking the question Ursa knew she was concerned. "Suki and the baby are fine. Someone gave her a drug that made it seem as if she were going into labor, but the midwife was able to stop things before they went too far. She'll have her baby on schedule, unless someone tries something like that again." She shook her head. "Mai, I don't believe you're responsible for any of this, but the Council isn't so willing to listen to reason. I told them that if you were responsible you would have vanished at the same time as Katara; that it would be insanity for you to remain behind under these circumstances. And no one has ever questioned your sanity."

"Well, that's something." Mai bowed her head, then looked back up at Lady Ursa. "For the record, I have nothing to do with Katara's disappearance, which is what I told those fools in the Council. And as I told Katara, I'm not a traitor and never have been. I will always be completely loyal to the Fire Nation. It's not my fault if my father's as much a fool as they are," she added, a note of bitterness creeping into her voice in spite of her obvious efforts to keep herself under control.

"Your father claims to have started this to defend your honor, because he felt my son cast you aside for another woman. Are you sure you don't share his feelings?" Ursa knew it was an undiplomatic question, but she needed to be sure. Desperate times, desperate measures. Iroh no doubt had a saying to cover this situation, as he had one for almost every other situation. She missed him; palace intrigue was so far in her past, she felt lost without his wisdom to guide her. She missed him, she realized with a start, almost more than she missed her son.

"Zuko didn't cast me aside, I left him," Mai finally responded. "He would have married me and made both our lives miserable. I guess my father just couldn't believe I'd give up the power and prestige I would have gained by becoming Fire Lady." She raised her head proudly. "But I did. And I have no regrets." A rare smile graced her lips. "Except for losing you as a mother-in-law."

"You would have been a Fire Lady to be proud of," Ursa replied softly. She knew Mai wasn't just offering flattery in hopes of getting something in return; no matter how removed she had been from palace politics, Ursa still recognized sincerity when she was faced with it.

"I'm happy with the life I'm making for myself in Ba Sing Se," Mai replied, the elusive grin appearing and vanishing again so quickly it might have been imaginary. "I never thought I'd be satisfied living anywhere but here, but I am. Sure, some people resent me there just because I'm Fire Nation, but far more respect me for my skills." Her voice hushed to a near whisper. "I'd like to return to that life sometime."

"I'd like that, too." Ursa rose to her feet; they'd said all they had to say to each other, and she was satisfied with what she'd learned, little though it might seem to anyone else. "I will send someone down with clean clothes and personal care items. I have enough influence for that much, at least." She paused in the act of turning away. "Thank you for your honesty."

"Thank you for your kindness," Mai replied softly. She remained seated, watching as Ursa and the silent guard that had accompanied her disappeared from view. Once they were gone, her own guards moved into their accustomed spots on either side of the grated opening to her cell, backs to her, well out of reach even if she had enough freedom to reach through the bars.

Ursa had questioned her far more gently than the Councilors and their goons; if she moved too sharply, her ribs still burned, but she'd been too proud to let Ursa know she was in pain. Fortunately, none of the bruises showed; they'd left her face completely alone. She'd steadfastly told them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but it was a truth they didn't want to believe. "I had nothing to do with Katara's disappearance," she said aloud.

Neither guard reacted, not that she expected them to. Without changing expression, she moved over to the low bed and crawled under the blanket. She suspected the next time someone visited her, it wouldn't be nearly so pleasant as this one had turned out to be.


	33. Mind of a Madman

**North**

"My lord?"

Ozai turned to face the entrance to his tent. "Enter!"

A soldier ducked through the flaps and bowed. He held a scroll in one hand. "They've responded, my Lord," he said, allowing a victorious smile to flash across his lips.

Lord Ozai deigned to smile in return, a quick slash across the lips that never reached his eyes. Not that his adoring worshiper noticed; most of the rebels were convinced that Ozai's return to power was inevitable, with or without the ability to Bend. And most of them further believed he could force the Avatar to return those powers to him. Then the Fire Nation would return to glory, instead of this nonsense about cooperating with weaker nations.

Such fanaticism suited Ozai perfectly, as it equaled his own.. Being forced to leave prison ahead of schedule had caused a few logistical problems; he hadn't counted on being found out so quickly. But that fool Lao had paid for that crime, even if his family had escaped. No matter. One day they would be found and put to death for Lao's treacherous acts.

As would the rest of them. The two prisoners they now held were only the beginning; once his fool of a son and that wretched Avatar were in his hands, he would be well on his way to a return to full power.

His lip curled in disdain as he read the placating words written on the scroll he'd just received. "Do not harm them," he read aloud. "We agree to your terms. Tell us where and when the exchange is to be made. Zuko." He threw the missive to the ground and allowed himself a moment to savor the triumph that note signaled.

"Shall I send the response, my Lord?"

Ozai nodded. "Immediately. I will wait no longer. And have our soldiers remain on high alert; I expect some sort of treachery. Even Zuko isn't such a fool as to turn himself over to me without some sort of plan, no matter how pathetic." He paused. "Wait." The soldier stood attentively. "Make one change. I want my fool of a brother to witness his protégé's defeat. Have him escort the two of them here." The soldier bowed and left.

Once he was alone, Ozai allowed himself a few minutes to gloat. Everything was working out as ultimately planned. Zuko would be forced to cede the throne to his father, the Avatar would be killed, and things would return to normal. If he could be forced to restore Ozai's ability to Fire Bend, then he might be allowed to live a short while longer.

He considered for a moment whether or not he would keep either of his current captives alive, not sure if either of them would be worth the trouble they would no doubt cause. They were far too powerful in their elements, and it would be too difficult to keep them away from those elements. Especially the Earth Bender. Although her ability to Bend metal could be extremely useful, there was no way to control her.

Unless…Ozai paused in his pacing. The spy who had engineered her capture had gloated that she had kissed the Avatar, and was thus too distracted to notice him until it was too late. "Perhaps that is the way to control her," Ozai mused. He wasn't used to changing his plans unnecessarily, but in this case there was still time to refine things. If he kept the Avatar alive and docile by threatening the others, he could also keep Toph Be Fong in line by threatening the Avatar. A woman in love would do anything to protect her lover, he'd discovered that weakness early on, first by studying his mother's attempts to keep her lover secret from his father, and later by watching his own wife's attempts to do the same to him.

They would all suffer, they would all pay for the humiliations heaped upon him and upon the throne and upon the Fire Nation itself. All of them. Zuko alone would be left alive, Zuko alone would be left to see what his pride had wrought.

He could see it now…

_The Fire Nation was once again ascendant, even without the extra fire power offered by Sozin's comet, with the Phoenix King ruling the entire world. The Earth Kingdom was crushed beneath his boots, the polar Water Tribes destroyed, his enemies cowed or killed, and his son was by his side, helpless to stop any of it. Stripped of his powers as Ozai had once been, but was no more._

_The Avatar had been forced to return Ozai's Fire Bending, just as he had been forced to remove Zuko's and those of his fellow traitors. Toph Be Fong was merely a beautiful blind girl now, her Metal Bending abilities vanished along with her Earth Bending, a decorative addition to the royal harem and nothing more. Even if she couldn't see, she could hear as he had the Avatar beheaded, his body burnt to ash and kicked into the dirt beneath the training grounds of the royal palace, so Ozai could forever trample him beneath his feet._

_Ursa and Iroh were dead, both for their more recent sins as well as those of their younger days. They had begged for mercy, but Ozai had none. Iroh had sided with Zuko and the Avatar, and Ursa should have died long before. He took his time with them, torturing them for days before finally granting them the deaths they both more than deserved._

_As for the Water Bender, first her family had died before her eyes, that annoying brat of a brother, his wife, their child, and eventually her entire tribe. She, however, was allowed to live, in spite of how close to the sacred Fire Nation throne Zuko had allowed her to come. For that sin alone he would have condemned her to death, but for the fact that it tormented his son more to see her alive and under Ozai's power, her spirit broken, her powers gone, her body Ozai's to do with as he would. Not even given the status of Harem-wife, a mere concubine, a plaything._

_And there was nothing Zuko or anyone else could do to change things. This was Ozai's world, his moment, the way things should have gone in the first place. The way things were always meant to be. _Destined_ to be._

Ozai smiled; the smile became laughter, and anyone passing by his tent shivered and kept going.

That laugh wasn't quite sane.


	34. Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down

**oOo**

Unaware of his father's detailed and unsettling plans for his future, Zuko paced the small quarters he'd been given on the airship. He clutched the pouch in which his small carvings were placed, feeling as if he were holding a good-luck talisman. "We'll need it," he muttered to himself. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly?

Of course, he could always do as some of his advisors recommended: write the two women off as casualties, or else sacrifice his entire nation, his future and that of the Avatar, and for what? "For Katara and Toph," he whispered to himself as he continued to pace. "They wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice themselves for us." He'd said as much to his councilors as well, although much more forcefully. Then he'd made them all shut up and listen to Sokka's plan. He could tell by the sour looks on their faces that they thought he was crazy, especially General Tsing, but by the end of the meeting they'd all been nodding and murmuring amongst themselves. Considering the odds, calculating the risks. In the end, General Tsing had offered Sokka a cautious: "That might work." High praise indeed.

There was no doubt about it; Sokka was a tactical genius. His plan neatly covered as many contingencies as they could figure, with the exception of the unknown and currently unknowable factors that could torpedo any plan. They'd worked out what to do if his father was there, and if he wasn't; if the troops were twice what they estimated, and if they were half as many again; and, reluctant though they had been to do so, if the girls were already dead and this was all an elaborate bluff.

Now all they could do was wait for Momo to show them the way to the place where the messenger hawk had returned. Appa and Aang had floated high above both of the small flying creatures, in spite of Zuko's initial protests. However, he'd been overruled; Sokka insisted that it was vital that they be spotted. "They'll expect us to try and spy out their exact location, and if they're focusing on Appa they're less likely to notice Momo."

Zuko paced back and forth, back and forth. Part one was initiated; the response had been sent out, and Appa and Aang were making themselves visible while at the same time attempting to make it seem as if they didn't want to be seen. And if Momo was doing what he was supposed to do, then they would have the intelligence they needed to finish planning the rescue.

Back and forth, back and forth. Holding the pouch with the carvings, worrying at it with nervous fingers.

Knowing what he would have to do if his father had joined the rebels.

And hating it.

**Elsewhere**

Toph remained silent as Katara finished relating everything that had happened since the war party left the palace, taking it all in. Finally she sighed. "Ozai didn't wait long, did he."

"He didn't wait at all," Katara replied, clearing her throat and longing for a cool drink. She was dry-mouthed enough from the drug, and even more so after catching Toph up. Having to semi-shout wasn't helping, either. "He escaped that same day, but not," she added bitterly, "before taking care of that poor man who spoke to me. I don't care if he was a traitor of some kind, he just wanted to protect his family, but he also wanted to make sure someone knew the truth."

"And you were his only chance of seeing that happen," Toph agreed. "He was brave and didn't deserve to die the way he did. Ozai has to be stopped." She didn't sound hoarse at all, even though she'd filled Katara in on certain events since their arrival in the north. But only certain events. She was never, ever telling anyone about that impulsive kiss, or hinting about her feelings to Aang on the airship. Nope, her lips were sealed… "I kissed Aang," she blurted.

"Ozai deserves more than just to be stopped, but I'm not sure we're in a position to do anything about…you what?" Katara asked, staring upward as Toph's last three words finally penetrated her other concerns.

"I. Kissed. Aang," Toph repeated slowly. No taking the words back now.

"You—why? When? What was it like?" Katara couldn't help that last question; she'd never felt anything but friendship and affection for Aang, she knew that now after experiencing Zuko's kisses and the fire they ignited in her body and soul.

Toph managed another awkward shrug. "Stupid. Impulsive." She sighed. "Wonderful." She shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "I had a crush on your brother for a while."

"I know," Katara replied, her head whirling. She certainly hadn't seen that confession coming! "But I figured it would burn itself out sooner or later."

"Which it did," Toph agreed. She slid to the only sitting position her bonds would allow, legs crossed, head leaning back against the rope cage and tilted upward as if she were contemplating the tree-top. "Then I started having feelings for Aang, only he was head over heels for you and couldn't have seen another girl if she'd been doing a naked fan dance. Which I thought about," she added reflectively, "but I didn't really have the anatomy for it, if you know what I mean."

Katara wasn't touching _that_ one. "So you told him how you feel? You kissed him? What did he do?"

"He sort of kissed me back, but I think it was just because he's so polite. Then the troops started moving in, I got trapped, and that was the end of that. If I'm lucky, when we get back he'll just pretend it never happened. Otherwise I'll be mortified, and really, I'm not likely to be in the mood for one of those 'we're just friends' speeches. Or the noble 'I know you were just acting under the stress' routine."

"Toph, you don't know how he'll react," Katara protested. "Give your relationship a chance before you go destroying it in your mind!"

"Right, leave the destroying to us." Both girls jerked their heads in the direction of that unexpected voice. Katara bared her teeth in a snarl as Ozai appeared on the edge of the pit. He glanced up at Toph, then back down at her. "Because there will be plenty of destroying, mark my words. And if the Avatar cooperates, then maybe, just maybe, you'll both be around to witness it."

"The only thing that's going to be destroyed is your rebellion," Katara snapped. "Give yourself up, Lord Ozai. Zuko is the Fire Lord now, and all you're doing is stirring up trouble just when everyone was finally getting used to peace. Especially your own people; how could you set them against each other like this?"

"Very easily, actually." Ozai jumped down into the pit, landing in a cloud of dust next to Katara. He pulled her roughly to him, holding her tightly by the wrists. "There are many who resent Zuko for stopping us from reaching our destiny."

"Is Mai one of them?" Katara whispered. Suddenly, she had to know. Was Mai the one who had set up her kidnapping?

"Mai? That short-sighted fool of a girl? Hardly," was Ozai's scornful reply. "And please, don't bother trying to escape," he added, correctly interpreting Katara's watchful stance. "You wouldn't want your young friend to be punished for your actions." He ignored Toph's scornful raspberry, keeping his eyes locked with those of Katara. She nodded and turned her head away in defeat, reading his intention to do exactly as he said as easily as he'd read her own intention to try and overpower him.

He transferred his grip on her wrists to one hand, not even straining to maintain his hold as he pulled a length of rawhide from his belt and tied her hands together. As he worked, he continued talking. "Mai's father took affront at how my son cast his daughter aside for a mere Water Tribe girl, and he took even more affront at losing his power and position when he was forced to return his lands to the Earth Kingdom and resign his governorship."

"So he came here and started trouble, while you stayed in prison and manipulated things behind the scenes," Katara accused.

Ozai didn't bother answering one way or the other, merely lifted his fingers to his lips and blasted out a shrill whistle. A length of rope with a pair of loops in it flew over the edge of the pit and landed in the dust at their feet. Ozai placed on foot in the bottom loop, pulling Katara closer and holding onto the other loop with his free hand. He gave a sharp jerk, then the rope slowly rose, bringing the two of them closer and closer to the top. When they were just below the edge, Ozai shouted, and the rope came to a stop. With contemptuous ease, he flung her up over the edge. She landed on her shoulder with a grunt of pain, then rolled to her feet as he scrambled up to join her.

They were surrounded by soldiers, and Katara could tell it wasn't a rescue party. "Bring down the Earth Bender," Ozai ordered as he pulled Katara by the arm across the small clearing. He maintained his grip as his men moved a complicated pulley system that lowered the cage incrementally closer to the ground, but never allowed it to actually touch. Nor was Toph allowed to touch as she was first released from the ropes that bound her to the cage, then forced to kneel as her hands were instead tied behind her back. Then the guard carefully lifted her in his arms and handed her out to another man, who in turn carried her to a wheeled cart that stood opposite Katara and Ozai.

"Put her inside." Ozai tossed that command over his shoulder as he pulled Katara along and shoved her into the covered portion of the cart. The walls were sturdy bamboo poles lashed together, and there was no metal in sight. The high, wooden wheels made any contact with the ground impossible. The two of them were tied to the bamboo bars opposite each other, and the wooden door closed and latched.

"Where are you taking us?" Katara shouted, sparing a concerned look for Toph, who had remained uncharacteristically silent this whole time, not even fighting when she was removed from her hanging prison.

"To a prisoner exchange," Ozai replied as he leapt onto the cart, sitting next to the solder holding the reins and nodding for him to start moving. "The only problem is Zuko and Aang haven't been told there isn't going to actually be an exchange."

"You promised to trade us for them, but you're going to keep us all instead?" That was Toph, finally, and she sounded disgusted. "That's so lame. Not to mention dishonorable."

"It is merely a tactic. You forget, we are at war. But once we have my son and the Avatar, that will change. The Fire Nation will once again be united in its purpose."

Katara frowned; there was something about Ozai's voice, something she knew she'd heard before, but couldn't quite place.

"United in trying to destroy the rest of the world, you mean," Toph continued, not bothering to hide her contempt.

"United in bringing it back under Fire Nation control, where it belongs," Ozai deigned to correct her as he turned to peer into the cart. "Those who resist will be made examples of, until everyone understands their place. It's our destiny." The last words were almost crooned, and as Katara met Ozai's eyes she suddenly realized what she was hearing in his voice, who he reminded her of: Azula. Azula at the end, when the madness had overtaken her.

She shivered. Ozai sane was bad enough; who knew what Ozai insane was capable of?

She prayed she wouldn't have to find out.


	35. Prep Time

**oOo**

"Are you ready?"

Zuko gave a curt nod. "You?"

Aang nodded as well, although there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes as he did so. They stood just inside the airship's door, while Iroh waited at the foot of the ramp, surveying the open area ahead of him as if searching for signs of a trap. _Which is exactly what he should be looking for,_ Zuko's mind whispered cynically. _You know there's no way they'll give up the girls once they have us in their hands._

He gave no outward sign of the doubts he still harbored; no one had come up with a better plan than Sokka's, although there had been plenty of suggestions and futile attempts, even at this late date, to try and change Zuko's mind. Especially once the expected response had arrived by messenger hawk, a grimly worded set of orders with the dreaded signature at the bottom: _"Send Zuko and the Avatar to the spot where the ambush that netted us our first hostage took place. Someone will guide them to where the exchange will take place. Do not follow or one of the hostages will be killed. Make sure Lord Iroh brings them. Alone. Ozai, Fire Lord, Phoenix King."_

So much for hoping his father was still unconnected with the rebels. Still, it changed nothing; even the demand that his Uncle accompany them was not unexpected. So they'd gone ahead with the plan, although he felt his heart clench in his chest as he watched first Aang and Appa, then Momo, soar away from the airship after the messenger hawk bearing their response. Aang's report upon his return hadn't eased his mind much, although by then it was too late for worrying about what had already happened…

_"They spotted us and shot a volley of arrows, then flaming arrows, then just plain fire." Aang slumped in his seat, wiping away the soot from a near-miss that covered the top of his head and half his face. "But they didn't spot Momo. He should be back soon, with a better idea of where they're located."_

_"Which is somewhere pretty deep in the forest," Zuko guessed, frowning as he watched a soldier hand Aang a damp towel to clean himself up with. "Does that hurt?" he added, noting the way Aang winced as he pressed the towel against the side of his head._

_"A little," the Avatar admitted. "But only a little. An arrow came a little too close, singed my ear." He turned his head to show Zuko the bright red tip of his ear as he continued. "And yeah, deep in the forest is the best I could tell. I'm willing to bet the hawk didn't go right to the command center, but Momo should have been able to follow it all the way. Once they forced Appa and me to leave, I saw him gliding along just above the tree tops. He should be able to guide the troops in after us with no problem."_

_"If he gets back in one piece," Zuko couldn't help muttering to himself, but of course Aang heard him, bad ear or no bad ear._

_"He'll make it." The Avatar sounded confident, and Zuko prayed it wasn't just wishful thinking on their parts. Aang had already shown where the arrows and fire had come from, and the general area where they lost sight of the messenger hawk, so at least they had that much, but a lot of intelligence was riding on the mind of a flying lemur, and Zuko couldn't help but fret over the weakest spot of their plan._

_As if reading his mind, Aang smiled and patted Zuko's shoulder. "Don't worry. Momo always comes through."_

And so he had, returning a few hours later. However Aang managed to communicate his needs to the little animal, Zuko had no idea, but Momo certainly seemed to understand what was wanted of him. He soared and looped through the air as the soldiers entered the trees, coming to a landing on General Tsing's shoulder at the last minute and chattering excitedly as they vanished into the dark undergrowth.

And now it was their turn. Zuko turned to look at Aang, who took a deep breath, then nodded, a look of steely determination replacing the uncertainty that had been there a moment before. Zuko nodded back, knowing his own expression reflected that of the Avatar, and they strode down the gangplank to join Uncle.


	36. Confluence

**oOo**

Toph remained uncharacteristically silent as the cart jolted along the narrow track leading away from the prison. They stopped once, when both were given carefully supervised sips of water, which Katara for one gratefully swallowed. Even if she considered spitting it back into her captor's face after first turning it to ice, they were still bound, still grossly outnumbered, and it would no doubt result in her getting nothing else to drink for a long, long time. And she was so thirsty…

Toph, she noted uneasily after the water made its delicious way down her throat and into her empty stomach, was not only quiet, she wasn't even testing her bonds or looking for an opportunity to kick out at the guard giving them the water. She hadn't, Katara suddenly realized, even tried to escape when they untied her and retied her to the cart. It was so unlike her that Katara began to worry in earnest. Had they given her some kind of drug? Except for her earlier disgusted outburst, she hadn't spoken, not even when Katara asked her if she was all right.

_There's no way they've broken her this easily,_ Katara decided after thinking it over intensely for several minutes. _She must be up to something. But what?_ That question occupied her mind as the cart continued its uncomfortable way to wherever it was they were going, even as she continued to try and free herself. Ozai never bothered turning around once they started moving, and the driver had to keep all his attention on the rutted track they were traversing, so she wasn't worried about being caught. _Besides,_ she thought bitterly, _they probably_ expect _me to try and escape. _Well, if that was the case, then she wasn't going to disappoint them. _And if Toph really is up to something, then she probably expects me to be ready to help out._ At that thought, she resumed twisting her wrists, ignoring the pain as the ropes seemed to tighten instead of loosening.

Ozai noted Katara's struggles with amusement. She thought she was being subtle, but she was too young and foolish to know the meaning of the word. For example, she obviously hadn't noticed him noticing her, no matter how many furtive looks she cast over her shoulder. Why couldn't the stubborn child be more like her loud-mouthed friend, the Earth Bender? She wasn't testing her bonds or trying to escape, just sitting there quietly since her last outburst. As it should be. She obviously understood that resistance was futile.

He relaxed against the wooden slats that made up the uncomfortable seat. A metal vehicle had been absolutely out of the question; he had no doubt that Toph would take unhesitating advantage if she felt she could get away with it. No, as long as he allowed her to live, her feet would remain shod, her transportation would be wooden, and her feet would never again be allowed to touch the bare earth. Just as Katara would be confined when her blood-bending powers were at their height and the only water she would ever have would be mere mouthfuls at a time. He would have to constantly be on his guard against them, but that would only add to his enjoyment, keep him sharp. As long as he had them, he had his traitorous son and the Avatar at his command. It was a soothing thought to occupy his mind as they rolled toward the rendezvous.

The rendezvous, and destiny.

**oOo**

General Tsing cursed silently as he and his men made their stealthy way through the forest. With the approximate location of where the messenger hawk plunged into the forest known, a second group of men was making their slightly less stealthy way. He was proud of them, volunteers all for what could well be a suicide mission, going toward an enemy who knew they were coming. If all went well, then he and his men would find the real camp, and the battle would be over quickly and with as little loss of life as possible.

His desire to keep casualties to a minimum, on either side of a battle, had not won him much glory when he served under Fire Lord Ozai; it was, however, a trait that had recommended him to Fire Lord Zuko._ "I'm not interested in perpetuating my father's style of leadership_," the young man had announced at his first formal meeting with his generals, casting a cold eye over the ones who had made the cut and retained their commissions. He'd been ruthless in eliminating from power those who were known to not only carry out his father's most heinous commands, but enjoyed doing so as well. _"This is a new era for the Fire Nation, and for the rest of the world. It will be a struggle, but I have confidence in your ability to bring us to a new type of glory."_

Stirring words, ones Tsing would never forget. Although he didn't like to show it, his grudging admiration for the new Fire Lord had begun with that speech, and blossomed into something stronger over the next two years. However, he had retained many reservations; aside from the search for his missing mother and his recent kidnapping by his deranged sister Azula, Zuko's reign hadn't truly been challenged. Not until now.

And what a challenge it was turning out to be. A simple rebellion in the northern provinces had become Lord Ozai's struggle to return to power. Even without his ability to Fire Bend, he was still a formidable opponent, the true head of the rebellion. Disgraced generals and soldiers disgruntled by what they perceived as Zuko's over-dependence on the Avatar had flocked to his side, secretly at first, but now it was all in the open. No doubt Ozai hadn't intended to tip his hand so quickly, but apparently the Lady Katara had managed to force him into the open immediately. Tsing's admiration for her was also growing; she would make a far better Fire Lady than he had expected.

His thoughts were disrupted by a sharp tug on his ear. Snarling, he turned his head, only to be faced with Momo's excited chittering as the lemur flew from his shoulder and jumped onto a low hanging branch nearby.

Instantly his fist snapped up, halting the forward motion of the men behind him. He pointed two fingers to the right, to the left, giving the signal for them to fan out in opposite directions while he moved silently up to Momo's new position and peered forward intently.

At first all he could see was more trees, more thick underbrush, then abruptly a soldier moved into view. He was a good distance off, but his red clothing was vivid against the thick greenery. The general spared a moment to be grateful to the fact that his own men were in much less noticeable browns and grays, then returned his attention to the patrolling soldier.

He drew back into the underbrush as the other man looked his way, then back in the other direction, obviously having seen nothing to warrant an alarm. Tsing smiled grimly. Good. As soon as his men were in place, the scouts would do their jobs, and the signal would be given to attack.

The sound of an approaching cart and many marching feet made him wonder if they'd fallen into a trap of their own. The soldier snapped to attention, saluting whoever was approaching, which only heightened Tsing's unease, until he saw who the guard was greeting. "Ozai," he breathed disbelievingly. Riding in the front of what was obviously a prison cart, holding two prisoners. He couldn't see their faces clearly, but had a feeling he knew who it had to be. Katara and Toph.

Whether it was a trap or not suddenly made no difference. The moment had arrived.

**oOo**

Zuko and Aang walked behind Iroh, every sense alert. Aang was getting better at sensing his surroundings through his feet, although he doubted he'd ever be as good at it as Toph. Thinking of her brought a momentary stutter to his heart. He shook the feeling off; worrying about her wouldn't bring her back. Finding out more about the enemy might, and he concentrated as hard as he could on the ground beneath his feet. He stopped short after a half-hour of steady walking toward the rendezvous point. "Someone's coming."

Iroh and Zuko stopped as well while Aang cast about, trying to tell which direction the footsteps he sensed were coming from. "That way," he nodded after an anxious moment. Toward the south. "A lot of feet, more than one pair, anyway." He offered an apologetic look at the other two. "Sorry, I can't tell exactly how many."

"More than enough to march us off to wherever they plan to take us for the prisoner exchange," Zuko observed sourly.

"Or to merely add us to their catch," Iroh put in cheerfully. He frowned as Zuko glared at him. "Don't tell me that idea hasn't crossed your mind!"

"Of course it has, Uncle," Zuko replied through his teeth as he resumed walking, this time at a more rapid pace. "But I was trying not to think about it."

"You mean you were trying to keep me from thinking about it," Aang interjected as he sped up to match Zuko's pace. "Weren't you."

"I didn't want you worrying about it, if they didn't keep their word and release the girls right away," Zuko admitted with a guilty look. "That's why I didn't bring up the possibility at the strategy meeting, and why Sokka didn't say anything, either."

"Zuko, you don't have to try and protect me," Aang protested. "I'm the Avatar; I'm supposed to be the one doing the protecting!"

"You're my friend first, Aang," Zuko replied. "You've already been hurt enough without having to worry about things that might not even happen."

"The Avatar is correct, Nephew," Iroh interjected as he huffed his way up to join them. "The time for protecting his feelings is long past. He is nearly a man now. You must treat him as one."

Zuko hunched his shoulders as if to ward off the truth of his uncle's words. "Can you feel if our mysterious 'someones' are still coming?" he asked Aang, abruptly, and deliberately, changing the subject.

Aang shook his head. "Not now that we're moving faster," he admitted. "But my guess is they're our escorts, heading for the rendezvous point."

"Or soldiers waiting to ambush us," Iroh added cheerfully. Both Aang and Zuko glared back at him. "What did I say?"

Before an answer could be given, a rustling in the underbrush brought them to a stop. None of them felt the need to point out the fact that the clearing they'd been directed to was still nowhere in sight. The three men tensed, Zuko's hands clenching as flames formed around his fists. The three formed an automatic triangle, their backs to each other as they readied themselves for combat.


	37. Surprise!

**oOo**

The soldier came to an abrupt halt as he unexpectedly came upon three figures standing in tense triangle. "Lord Zuko!" he exclaimed as he forced his way through the brush.

He was wearing the dark grays and browns General Tsing had ordered his men to don for this mission, but whether he was one of the men who was supposed to create a diversion or one of the men assigned to the second group, Zuko wasn't sure. The man himself cleared that up. "General Tsing found your father, Lord. And a cart bearing two prisoners."

"So what are you doing _here_?" Iroh interposed with a frown.

The soldier flashed a triumphant grin. "He sent three of us to scout out the original rendezvous point, since we had found the prisoners' location so quickly. The other two soldiers are standing guard over the traitors who were supposed to bring you to your father."

"And what of our diversionary troops?" Zuko replied, mercilessly quashing the surge of hope that tried to force itself through his system. His father was here, Katara and Toph were alive, and there was a chance less blood would have to be shed than his initial pessimistic estimations.

"We're not sure," the soldier admitted. "But if we hurry, we can join General Tsing before he starts the attack."

Zuko exchanged glances with Aang and Iroh, who nodded curtly. He turned back to the soldier. "Let's go."

**oOo**

Katara stifled a sigh of boredom. The cart had jolted to a stop over an hour ago, her wrists were swollen and sore from her attempts to free herself or at least loosen her bonds, Ozai was ignoring them, and Toph had apparently dozed off. Nothing had happened since the former Fire Lord jumped down and stalked off to talk in low undertones to the apparent leader of the soldiers they'd joined up with. Katara had already looked the situation over carefully. There were about a dozen more men, in addition to the half-dozen or so who had escorted them and their driver. He had jumped down almost immediately after Ozai and joined their escort in standing a respectful distance from their leader and the soldier he was still conferring with.

"Hsst!"

Katara started at that unexpected sound, then whipped her head around to see Toph no longer slumped against the bamboo bars of their prison, but sitting up more alertly. "Great, Sugar Queen, make it obvious I'm trying to get your attention," she muttered without moving her lips. The sarcasm, however, was unmistakable.

Katara tried to settle herself back into her original position. "Sorry," she mumbled, leaning her head against her arms and tilting her face toward Toph as unobtrusively as possible. Not that anyone was paying any attention to them at the moment, but she knew it would be stupid not to be careful. "What's up?"

"Just making sure you'll be ready."

"Ready for what?" Katara asked, getting a bit exasperated.

"Escape, duh," Toph shot back, still not moving her lips. "We have to be ready when Zuko and Aang get here."

"Or when they bring us to them," Katara pointed out. In case Toph hadn't already thought of that.

Toph shrugged. "I guess, but I think we're already here, that this is the meeting place. Why else just stop and stand around? That is what they're doing, isn't it?"

Katara was forced to agree. "Yeah. I just hope Zuko and Aang have a plan. I mean," she added hastily, "I know they're not just going to surrender themselves while we walk away. And they have to know we would never leave them behind." Her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing Zuko again, even under these circumstances, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips. The smile turned into a grimace as she pulled once again at her bonds. "But I can't get loose, and you haven't even tried."

"What makes you say that?" Katara looked sharply at Toph at those casually spoken words, her eyes widening as the other girl turned her wrists just enough for Katara to see that they were almost completely cut through. "How did you do that?" Katara gasped.

"The guard who took me out of that stupid cage had a couple of good fortune medals sewn into the cuffs of his uniform; I 'convinced' them to slip into my hands instead, made a blade out of them." The hint of a self-satisfied smirk pasted itself to her lips. "Not too shabby, if I do say so myself."

"Not too shabby," Katara repeated faintly, but she felt the faint hope she'd been nurturing blossom into something stronger.

Toph grinned. "Now the only question is, can you catch?"

"I'll do anything I have to get out of this," Katara replied in a fierce whisper. She cupped her aching hands and stretched them as far as she could toward Toph. "Go ahead."


	38. Meanwhile, Back at the Palace

**The Palace**

Lady Ursa rubbed tiredly at her eyes. She was drooping, she could feel it, as she sank gratefully into the most comfortable chair in her room. She'd spent half the morning arguing with the Council over the message they'd finally received from her son, and the other half arguing with Chief Physician Urdai over the fact that she was doing too much.

Well, she was, that wasn't the argument; the argument was whether or not she should stop. "I can't slow down, things are happening too quickly," she'd told him before summarily dismissing him. The Chief Physician had left in a huff, muttering dire predictions about her imminent collapse, predictions she wasn't disagreeing with. But until that predicted collapse actually occurred, she had to keep going. The Council was too busy arguing amongst itself about how to proceed to pay attention to how things were running in her son's absence, and someone needed to pick up the slack. And that someone, she'd decided, was her.

For far too long she'd languished on the sidelines, deliberately so, not wanting to make her son feel as if she were trying to interfere with how he ran the Fire Nation. Especially since she'd been so long away from governing anything more than her personal day-to-day routine, even before Ozai had exiled her. Her lingering health issues had made that easy, and it would be just as easy to listen to Urdai and remain on the sidelines as her body continued to recover from the arynaesic poisoning.

Easy, yes; right, no. Not with things going so badly, so unexpectedly badly, in the north; not with Mai still unfairly imprisoned, and her son about to surrender himself and the Avatar to the rebels. Or possibly having done so already; that was what the arguing in Council had been about. What to do if the Fire Lord was no longer the Fire Lord. How to deal with the rebels; was it considered a total surrender of the Nation to them or not? Zuko apparently hadn't been clear as to succession under the circumstances, which many in the Council seemed to be taking as a sign of distraction on the Fire Lord's part, if not downright incompetence, but which Ursa and others believed was merely circumspection. After all, messages had gone astray before.

There was even a small minority arguing that the message was a fake, but Ursa was too pragmatic to believe in the false hope of that claim. "It is exactly the sort of thing my son would do," she'd scoffed the first time that hope had been tentatively offered, early in the morning's arguments. "And the Avatar as well. Toph and Katara are heroes of the war as well as personal friends. Even if Katara were not romantically involved with my son, he would do anything to save her, just as she has done for him in the past." That retort had been in response to one particularly obnoxious Councilor's snide remark about the situation not occurring had Zuko the sense to fall in love with a proper Fire Nation lady.

Ursa massaged her temples. Anara had gone to fetch an herbal cloth with which to ease Ursa's current headache. Whether it was a lingering remnant of the poisoning or merely due to her stressful morning, Ursa neither knew nor cared. The headaches came and went, but the nation needed constant looking after. After she'd rested and eaten something, she would hold meetings with the Palace staff, then meet with the local Governors and then spend an hour or so before the evening meal in the informal sessions her son had initiated, allowing anyone who had a complaint or comment to speak their piece. Of course, she mused, it was likely to last longer than her staff would prefer, and certainly longer than Urdai would approve, but even if she missed her evening meal or had to put it off until later, she would remain in the Great Hall until all had been able to speak. It was a good policy, and she had no intention of allowing it to fall into disuse in her son's absence.

"After that, back to the Council," she muttered tiredly to herself. "In case they've managed to come to a consensus today." Which she doubted; they couldn't even agree as to whether or not her son was still in charge, let alone what to do if he wasn't. Or still was. Perhaps once demands were sent from the rebels, things would become clearer, but she doubted that as well; most likely it would only send them into new confusion. "My son, when you took the best Councilors and Generals with you, you made a huge mistake," she said with a slight shake of her head. "Next time, I'll be sure to advise you in the strongest terms to leave one or two who aren't fools behind."

She frowned, then rose from her chair and began to pace. The other reason for her return to the Council chambers was to continue to try and plead for Mai's release. The girl was innocent, of that Ursa was completely convinced, and she was terrified that the longer she remained in custody, the more likely it would be someone would decide to convene a trial and have her formally imprisoned, or worse. "Oh, Mai, I'm doing my best," Ursa whispered, hugging her arms tightly to her chest. "But I'm afraid that isn't good enough. I just hope my son has more of a plan than just surrendering himself to the rebels, no matter how noble a deed that is in and of itself. We need him, and quickly."

**oOo**

Several stories below, Mai was thinking the same thing as she huddled on her bench. Even Fire Nation dungeons were far from cold, but Mai's cold came from within and no amount of heat could warm the chill in her heart. "Zuko, you're certainly taking your sweet time in taking care of my idiot father," she muttered to herself, not bothering to lower her voice. The guards were used to her talking aloud to no one by now, and probably had orders to relay anything she said to the Council. Not that they could glean anything useful from her grumbles, since she doubted they would ever believe in her innocence, but whatever. She was used to being doubted by now.

She turned on one side and stared at the closest wall, tracking the gleam of moisture that trickled down from the unseen ceiling to the equally dark floor beneath her slab of a bed. Ursa had been as good as her word; she now had changes of clothing, awkward to manage over the chains on her ankles, but the ones on her arms had been removed, and for that she could be grateful. Just as she could be grateful for the clean bedding that appeared every other day, the better grade of food she was receiving, even the small comb and basin of wash water she was given twice a week. The maid that supervised her ablutions had gradually ceased to look terrified of her every move, but still regarded her with obvious suspicion.

Mai had made a single desultory attempt at conversation, but the little mouse barely squeaked out an unintelligible answer to a simple "How are you this fine morning?" and that had been the end of that. As for the guards, forget it. They certainly had glowering down to a fine art.

Another restless turn, this time facing the wall opposite her narrow bed. That one was dry, and she wished she could move the bed over, but it was Earth-Bender created, a ledge jutting sturdily and eternally from the same spot in which it had been created, never mind the moisture or the fact that the guard's flame sconces reflected directly into a sleeper's eyes. Of course, that was probably deliberate; after all, prisoners weren't supposed to be comfortable.

The sound of footsteps brought her to a sitting position, and from there as quickly to her feet as possible. It wasn't time for Lady Ursa's usual visit, and the Council had apparently decided torturing her wasn't going to get them anywhere unless they stepped it up to a level the Fire Lady couldn't possibly miss seeing signs of. Which, Mai had early concluded, they weren't eager to do. So unless that policy had changed, she had no idea who this visitor could be.

"Of course she's not dangerous, especially not to me! I mean, come on, I know all her moves! And you guys got all her knives, right? And I can hit her right in the old chakra if she tries anything! So my advice to you is to get out of the way unless you want to spend the next couple of hours immobile on the floor, got it?"

"Ty Lee!" Mai gasped as she recognized the shrill tones of her remaining closest friend. "What are you doing here?" She modified her tones by the end of the question so she sounded as bored as ever, but that did nothing to remove the huge grin from her friend's painted features as she peeked around the uncertain guards' sides.

"Visiting you, silly! What else?" She shoved her way between the two hulking brutes with an expression of annoyance. "Look, don't make me get the others down here to talk sense into you two!" she threatened, and they reluctantly moved aside, allowing her to pass.

"No, I mean what are you doing here in the Fire Nation?" Mai clarified as Ty Lee sprang into a spontaneous backflip, using the stone bench as a starting point. "Why aren't you back on Kyoshi Island?"

"Well, we came to celebrate your wedding, only that didn't happen, sorry about that, but then Suki's about to have her baby, so we stayed for that!" Ty Lee beamed as she bounced to a stop directly in front of Mai's cell. She wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, I hate prisons, I thought you swore you'd never end up in one again!"

"I did," Mai muttered sourly. "Then I had the stupid idea to try and warn Zuko about my father's rebellious plans." She shrugged. "So here I am. Just be thankful they don't associate you with me anymore, or you'd be right next to me."

"I'm a Kyoshi Warrior now, they wouldn't dare," Ty Lee replied smugly. Her face fell. "Sorry, that didn't come out the way I meant it to," she stammered, her neck and presumably face reddening as she realized how selfish she sounded. "Mai, I really wish there was something I could do. I mean, I asked Suki if we could just break you out and smuggle you back to the Earth Kingdom, but she said we had to save that for an emergency. Like if Zuko doesn't make it back. Then all bets are off."

"Sounds fair." Mai felt a faint stirring of hope. At least the Lady Ursa wasn't the only one on her side. "How is Suki doing?"

"Fine, but they won't let her come down here to see you. Plus she wasn't sure you'd want to see her anyway, since she's Katara's sister-in-law. And the Chief Physician won't let her out of bed yet." Ty Lee made a face. "She says she's going crazy stuck in bed, but she doesn't want to hurt the baby, so I can't blame her for following the doctor's orders."

"You can tell her I don't want her visiting if it's bad for the baby," was Mai's only comment. She felt a strange warmth spreading through her, and hid it with a scowl. "I've made my peace with Zuko's choices as far as Katara is concerned, so she doesn't have to worry about that."

Ty Lee's grin reappeared, tinged with relief. "You know, I told her you probably wouldn't hold it against her, but she just said she wasn't going to push herself on anyone. Not that Suki's the pushy kind, that's more me, but still! It's nice to know. Isn't it?"

Mai restricted herself to a bare nod, content to let Ty Lee's familiar babble wash over her. Ty Lee barely appeared to notice that Mai wasn't doing much talking; upon reflection, Mai concluded, that was exactly how most of their conversations went. She couldn't believe how comforting it was, to be treated normally; surreal, a bit, under the circumstances, but comforting nonetheless.

When Ty Lee finally wound down to a conclusion of sorts, Mai gifted her with a tremulous smile and a simple, "Thanks."

The other girl stood gaping at her for a moment, flustered by the unexpected warmth in that simple statement, then grinned her biggest grin yet. "No problem. I'll come back tomorrow, if you don't mind, maybe bring one of the other girls with me. Or Suki, if she's allowed up that soon. We're taking turns guarding her and the Lady Ursa," she added, lowering her voice and gaining a sudden seriousness severely lacking in her earlier words. "Cause no one who really matters believes you had anything to do with what happened to either of them, and who knows what Ozai's up to now that he's escaped."

"Probably making trouble with my father up north," Mai replied sourly. "If things are going well for the rebels, it certainly isn't because my father suddenly became a master strategist."

Ty Lee shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, you're probably right. But we all feel better being with Suki right now, and the Lady Ursa," she sighed. "She's wonderful, isn't she? So graceful and cultured and beautiful, I wish I could be more like her." Her irrepressible grin returned. "But I guess I'm a lost cause, I don't think I'll ever really get the diplomacy stuff." She waved and bounced back to her feet. She'd been springing up and down as she talked, sometimes pacing, sometimes just standing and fidgeting, never truly still. Just like usual.

When she left, it was as if she'd taken all the light with her. Mai sank back down on her bunk and faced the near wall again, but this time it was to hide the occasional grin that kept breaking free of her carefully schooled features.

Suddenly, prison was a bit more bearable.


	39. Where Are They?

**North**

Katara held her breath as the small sliver of metal flipped out of Toph's hands, whirling end over end to land directly into her own. In her surprise at it landing exactly where Toph had aimed it, she fumbled it, nearly dropping it and eliciting a glare from Toph that she studiously avoided as she cupped her hands around the precious sliver.

She gently manipulated it into position, trying not to cut herself but trying not to drop it at the same time. Just as she was about to begin the delicate process of slicing through the ropes, however, the sound of approaching footsteps stopped her. _Where do I hide it?_ was her only thought as she cursed her lack of sleeves and mobility. Finally, she did the only thing she could, dropping the blade to the floor and kicking it back to Toph.

Just in time. As Toph's booted foot covered the tiny sliver of metal (_did she hear it?_ Katara wondered, _or did she just make a good guess?),_ the door to their prison was yanked open and a guard thrust his head into the make-shift cage. "You, water bender!" he barked, leaning in and glaring at her. Fortunately he spared not a second glance for Toph. "Lord Ozai 'requests' your presence!" The sneer on his face was echoed by the contempt in his voice. "You will remain still while you are cut free."

Katara tensed as he backed away from the opening, apparently giving some signal as another soldier ran up and cut her free from the bamboo poles to which she had been lashed. With a bone knife, she noted as he indicated she should leave the cage. Her wrists were still tied together, and she wished she'd been able to actually use Toph's knife, but there was nothing she could do about it now. So she obediently headed for the opening, peering around before stepping off the cart.

The first soldier was there, waiting, as she'd expected. He pulled her roughly by the arm and hauled her off the cart and onto the ground. "No funny stuff," he growled, giving her a shake. "Or your little earth bending friend will suffer."

Katara nodded meekly, desperately trying to hide her contempt for the man's bullying behavior. _He's brave when he thinks he has the upper hand,_ she fumed silently._ I wonder how brave he'd be if he knew Toph and I weren't as helpless as he thinks._

But she managed to keep herself from doing anything stupid; he certainly wasn't worth ruining everything for. Instead, she docilely allowed him to pull her along to join Ozai and the other soldier he'd been speaking to. "Here she is, Phoenix King." There was a tone of worship in the other man's voice that made Katara uneasy; were they all as crazy as the former Fire Lord?

Speaking of whom, the frown he wore deepened as he turned to look Katara up and down measuringly. "Come closer!" he barked, and the soldier shoved her between the shoulder blades, forcing her measured pace into a stumble. She turned to glare at him, then straightened her shoulders and marched directly up to Ozai without any further "assistance" from the soldier.

"Zuko and the Avatar are late for the rendezvous, and we caught their troops attempting to sneak up on us. What do you know of this? How did you warn them?"

Katara gaped up at him. "Me?!? I don't know what you're talking about!" Silently, she rejoiced. This had to be part of a plan, one Ozai apparently hadn't anticipated.

Just as she didn't anticipate the blow that followed immediately upon her words of protest. The force of it knocked her to her knees and brought tears of pain to her eyes. Her cheek stung from the force of Ozai's fist, and she knew the bruise would be spectacular. Still, she glared up at him, leaning heavily on her hands. "Is this the noble Lord Ozai?" she found the breath to taunt him. "Punching bound prisoners?" Her contemptuous gaze raked the soldiers standing around them. "Punching women? What's next? Kicking puppies?"

Ozai didn't bother to respond, although his brow darkened as he reached down and hauled her back to her feet. "Obviously my son doesn't think as highly of you as you thought he did," he hissed, shaking her slightly. Katara started to raise her hands to stop him, but halted in mid-motion, staring at something just over Ozai's shoulder.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you, girl!" he thundered.

Katara slowly returned her gaze to meet his, a triumphant smile curling her lips. "I think your son thinks _very_ highly of me," she said, then deliberately went limp in Ozai's grip, slithering out of his grasp and dropping to the ground with a thump before he understood what she was doing.

Katara quickly rolled out of the way, watching in satisfaction as Ozai was knocked to the ground in turn, tackled by his enraged son.

**The Palace (Earlier)**

"If that is all?"

Ursa gazed at the small group clustered before her, making sure she had heard every one of them before she left the chamber. No one spoke, but as she started to rise to her feet, a voice rang out from the back of the room.

"I have a question, Lady Ursa." There was a murmuring as people stepped aside to let the speaker through. He made his way to the front of the audience chamber and stood before her, challenge in his eyes and stance. "Where are my children?"

Ursa sank back onto the gilded chair at the top of the low dais, staring out, mesmerized by the sight of the stranger standing before her. A true stranger; he was not Fire Nation by birth or upraising. Not with those formal blue robes, not with that deep tan and brilliant blue eyes. Not with Katara's face staring back at her in masculine form, with age and hardship writ deep in the lines on his face.

Ursa took a deep breath before speaking. Steadying herself. "Chief Hakoda. I offer you formal welcome to the Fire Kingdom, if you haven't received such from the Council yet." She glanced around at the room, noting the avid interest in every set of eyes. "Thank you for joining us," she said, as she always did when the session was finished. "I will do my best to see that your questions are answered and your needs are met."

They reluctantly filed out of the room, stealing glances at the stranger among them before no doubt hurrying back to their homes to gossip about the incident. To have a visiting dignitary interrupt the time Lady Ursa and previously Lord Zuko set aside to listen to their peoples' complaints and fears was unprecedented, but in these uncertain times, no one was sure what the new protocols would be. Either the Water Tribe Chief had just set a new precedent, or else the Lady Ursa was about to tear into him in her delicate, lady-like—yet steel-spined—way. Either outcome would set the kingdom abuzz for a long time. Of that she had no doubt.

Ursa gestured for an additional chair to be brought in, and rose courteously as Hakoda warily joined her on the low dais. "You are dismissed," she said crisply, waving away the servants and courtiers hovering uncertainly on the sidelines. "Please see to it that we are not interrupted unless by tidings from the north," she further instructed the remaining guards, who bowed and stepped outside the chamber to wait for her.

Hakoda watched as the room slowly cleared, not speaking until the doors were finally shut. "I've been told Suki is still on the premises, and I saw some of the Kyoshi warriors drilling in the courtyard when I came to the palace. It's good to know at least one member of my family hasn't vanished."

Ursa winced. "We deserve that." She took a calming breath, considering the best way to break the news before speaking again. "Your son has gone north with Fire Lord Zuko and the Avatar to deal with a rebellion, and Katara was kidnapped after someone poisoned your daughter-in-law. Who is still fine, both she and the child," Ursa added soothingly, to take the sting out of her bald statements. But really, there was no way to sugar-coat it; Hakoda obviously knew something had happened, even if he hadn't known exactly what that something was.

Hakoda slumped back against the sturdy wooden chair he'd been given, his breath leaving him in a whoof! of shock. "Kidnapped? By whom?"

"Lord Ozai," Ursa replied. "He escaped from prison not long after Katara visited him there and discovered he wasn't quite as securely confined as we believed." The corners of her mouth tightened grimly. "We received a message stating that Zuko and Aang were going to trade themselves for Katara and Toph."

"So he took her north," Hakoda mused. A frown of concentration gave furrows to his brow, and he stared off into the distance, lips moving in silent calculation. "I can have my ships and men ready to leave almost immediately. He sprang to his feet, every inch of his body language screaming out the need for action.

Ursa stood as well, concern writ large upon her face. "Are you sure? You could be sailing into a trap!"

Hakoda nodded firmly. "I'll keep that in mind, my lady." He bowed suddenly, offering her a gentle smile as he straightened. "Thank you. The Council wouldn't even hear my petition to speak to them. One of the servants suggested this might be the best way to find out what I needed to know." He paused in the act of stepping back off the dais. "Can you find someone to direct me to Suki? I would like to see her before we sail again."

"I'll take you myself," Ursa replied, accepting the hand he offered her. She was secretly relieved by his presence, and even more by his determination to follow his children. Even if he wasn't formally offering to help Zuko, she knew that was what it amounted to, and was grateful for even that much. The Council refused to allow more troops to go north until they had a better idea of what was going on, which she found idiotic, but then, much of what the Council did these days fell under that category.

Perhaps Hakoda's men and ships could make a difference. She sincerely hoped so. With that thought in mind, she sketched as much of the political and military situation for him as she could on their way to Suki and Sokka's small home. "Admiral Wei could be persuaded to 'escort' you," she added under her breath as they hurried on their way through the palace corridors. "His ships have been held in reserve, and I know he is impatient to join the fight, especially since we found out about my son's decision to sacrifice himself. I'll send a note with you, if you like."

Hakoda nodded. "I will offer and accept any assistance to save my daughter from that madman." He didn't bother offering apologies to Ursa for characterizing her former husband in such a manner; since she felt the same way about him, it didn't bother her in the least. Silently, she exulted. With Hakoda's ships, and the possibility of Admiral Wei joining him, the balance might finally be tipping in their favor.


	40. Battle Joined

**North**

Chaos erupted all around as Katara struggled to her feet. No one seemed interested in her, not with the sudden appearance of not only Zuko and Aang, but also dozens of their soldiers. At least, Katara assumed they were with Zuko; the men were definitely Fire Nation, but were wearing nondescript browns and grays that blended nicely with the forest. Certainly better than their red-clad opponents. "Makes it easier to tell one side from the other," she muttered as she dodged men engaged in hand-to-hand combat on her way back to the prison wagon.

She ran up to the side of the cart and yelled through the bars. "Toph! I need to get these stupid ropes off!"

"Keep your shirt on, Sugar Queen," Toph's calm voice came from behind her. Katara spun around, gaping in surprise. She watched as Toph came closer, the glint of metal in her hand, but not the simple blade she'd originally fashioned; this was a full-on dagger. Judging by the blood on the blade, the previous owner wouldn't be looking for it any time soon. Katara gulped, but held out her hands obediently when Toph told her to.

"Wait, let me tell you where to cut," she said, nervously jerking her arms close to her chest.

Toph laughed. "Don't worry, I can 'see' just fine."

"How?" Katara demanded, still holding her arms away from the younger woman. "You still have on those stupid boots!"

Toph lifted on foot, and Katara saw with relief that the bottoms had been completely cut away.

"Satisfied? Now do you wanna get in on this fight or not?" Toph held out the blade again, and Katara willingly thrust her arms forward, confident that she wasn't about to lose a finger in the process of regaining her freedom.

Zuko noted Katara's progress across the clearing from the corner of his eye, warily reserving most of his attention for his father. Out of respect for the fact that his opponent was no longer a Fire Bender, he was holding back on his attacks, and it was clear that his father was taking advantage of that fact.

A Fire Bender who had no such compunctions shot a fire ball at Zuko from the cover of the prison wagon. "No cheating!" Toph admonished him as she raised a wall of stone around the soldier. His muffled cursing brought a blush to Katara's cheeks. "Hey, Sugar Queen, I got you a present!" Toph sang out.

Katara spared a glance for her friend, a smile spreading across her face as the Earth Bender tossed a full water-skin her way. Then Toph waded into the battle, focusing, as Katara now was, on the red tunic-clad soldiers.

Apparently General Tsing had also told his men to hold back on Fire Bending, because they were only cautiously weaving fire-whips or lobbing very small fire balls at their opponents. The wisdom of this strategy became clear when a missed shot from one of Ozai's men lodged into a tree, which instantly burst into flame. Katara debated trying to put it out, then realized she had to focus on the fight in front of her face.

Speaking of in front of her face… She went into Water Bending stance and shot a handful of ice daggers directly at the soldier who was grappling with… "Sokka!" she cried out as the soldier clawed at his face and then went down, neatly tripped by his opponent.

"Katara! You're OK! That's great!! Where's Toph?" Sokka yelled over his shoulder.

"Out there!" Katara yelled back, neatly sidestepping a rushing attack by a sword-wielding soldier. Sokka bonked him on the head with the end of his own sword, and another soldier was down. "She's OK too!!"

"Great!!!" Sokka shouted, then the momentary calm around them disappeared as mass of soldiers separated the siblings. Katara struggled to return to his side, torn between staying with her brother or trying to get close enough to help Zuko with Ozai. The tide of the battle, however, kept her from achieving either goal, and she resigned herself to having to wait and see how things worked out. Never her favorite pastime.

**oOo**

Zuko glared at his father's snarling visage. "Time to give up this insane rebellion! Surrender!"

"To you? Never!" Ozai sneered as he and Zuko circled around each other. No one else seemed inclined to interfere with them, hopefully because they were too busy fending off Zuko's soldiers. Or better yet, being beaten back by them.

Ozai rushed forward, Zuko barely dodging his father's attempt to knock him off his feet. As he kicked out in an attempt to bring this fight to a swift conclusion, he realized why no one was interfering; he and his father were completely surrounded by an earthen wall that rose a good ten feet in the air, well above the two opponents' heads, and out to a distance of at least fifty feet in every direction. "Great, our own private arena," Zuko muttered, not sure if he was going to thank Toph for this little stunt, or kill her himself. He shrugged. "I guess it depends on who wins."

Ozai had also realized that he and his son were facing each other without any hope of outside assistance, unless one of his men thought to climb a tree and shoot the traitor where he stood, panting halfway across the clearing and obviously sizing up his opponent. "So, it appears your Earth Bender has managed to free herself after all," Ozai sneered. "Is this part of your plan, Zuko? Are you going to call lightning and kill your own father in cold blood?"

Zuko stiffened. "I would never do such a dishonorable thing!" He took a half-step forward. "This fight doesn't have to happen at all, Father. Surrender, and this can all be over."

Ozai's response was a feral growl as he launched into a vicious attack. Zuko defended himself, but found himself retreating again and again as his father's superior strength and weight, not to mention his many years of martial arts training, began to turn the tide against him.

The sound of an explosion echoed through the impromptu arena, then the blast itself knocked both men off their feet in opposite directions. A gaping hole, smoke pouring through it, appeared in the farthest wall. One of Ozai's men stepped through, and suddenly the uneven battle became even more uneven as he threw a fireball at Zuko.

Zuko rolled away from the attack and jumped to his feet, no longer holding back as he shot flames at his newest opponent. Unfortunately, his father chose that moment to attack as well, knocking his son back off his feet and kicking him viciously in the side. "Finish him!" he snarled at the soldier, who raised his hands and stepped closer.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_A/N: OK, this is one of my first fight scenes. Be gentle._


	41. Seriously Injured

**oOo**

Aang looked around, frantically scanning the crowded battleground for any sign of Katara or Toph. He floated just above the tree-tops, but even from this bird's eye view he couldn't tell friend from foe except by the red coats the enemy troops wore.

In the middle of his desperate attempts to find his friends, his attention was momentarily captured by the sight of a circular wall of stone abruptly rising out from the ground, surrounding two figures and rapidly expanding outward about 50 feet. "Toph," he said softly, a goofy smile lighting up his face and his heartbeat rapidly accelerating. It had to be her; there were no other Earth Benders at this particular fight. He spared a moment to glance at the two entrapped combatants, wondering if he should do something about them, then decided if Toph thought they needed some alone time, who was he to argue? He'd much rather ask her in person.

Smiling at the prospect, in spite of the battle raging below him, Aang zoomed away to find Toph.

Toph grinned and dusted her hands together. "That should keep everyone out of the way while Sparky takes care of Psycho Senior." She stomped her foot, raising a block of earth, which she almost casually swatted toward the soldier who was attempting to sneak up on her. "Oh no you don't!" she sang out as he went sailing away with the solid mass of earth slammed firmly up against his mid-section.

"Toph!"

"Aang!" Toph grinned at the sound of the Avatar's voice, just high enough above her head to tell he was floating rather than standing. "Come join the fun!" Any potential awkwardness at their reunion was forgotten in the sheer adrenalin rush of battle.

"Never mind the fun, we have to help General Tsing!" Katara cut into the reunion, running up as Aang settled to the ground. Taking a page from Toph, Aang raised a tall circle of stone around them, giving them momentary privacy.

"Where is he? What can we do?" he asked, turning to Katara and missing the spasm of pain that crossed Toph's features as he turned his back on her.

But Katara noticed, and filed the look away for future reference. When it could be classified as a crisis. "He's been surrounded," she explained, almost dancing with impatience. "I can't find Zuko or my brother, and somebody has to do something!"

This time Katara didn't catch the expression on Toph's face, a brief flicker of uncertainty. Should she let Zuko go, or leave him and his father to work things out? The decision was taken out of her hands as she felt her feet suddenly leave the ground. She clutched instinctively at the nearest thing as she yelped her startlement; Aang's arm, as it turned out, and he pulled her closer. Of course, the fact that she could hear Katara's own startled shout put a bit of a damper on things, but hey, she'd take what she could get. The three of them soared away, presumably to help the general, and she mentally shrugged. Zuko and Ozai would really have to duke it out on their own, then maybe this whole stupid rebellion could be over.

**oOo**

Zuko rolled quickly away, in spite of the pain of his broken ribs, rising as quickly to his feet as possible and shooting a steady stream of flame at his opponent. Unfortunately, as soon as that one was taken care of (_taken care of?_ he found time to think disbelievingly. _I _crisped_ him!_) another one took his place, and another, and another after that, each wearing a mask of fanaticism that made Zuko's blood run cold.

"Kill him!" Ozai shrieked. "Kill him now!"

Zuko spared a moment to hurl a fire ball at his father's feet, causing him to stumble and fall, cursing as he beat the flames out. Zuko quickly found himself surrounded, six soldiers slowly backing him toward the wall. As one, they took an attack stance; as one, they chanted: "In the name of the Phoenix King, you must DIE!!"

As Zuko prepared to defend himself, another disturbance at the newly-blasted entrance caught his attackers' attention. All but one, who quickly aimed and fired a stream of fire at Zuko. The Fire Lord barely dodged the blast, crying out in pain as it singed his arm and part of his leg. He dropped back to the ground to put out the flames, nearly passing out from the pain of his ribs grinding together on top of the pain of the burns, but grimly held on to consciousness long enough to see what was going on around him. Several of his men had battled their way through the gaping hole and were engaging the rest of the soldiers. Someone was wrestling Ozai to the ground…was that Sokka?

Almost absently, he shot a fire ball at the man who had tried to kill him, catching him fully in the chest. Then he gratefully slid into unconsciousness.

**oOo**

It was not going well, not going well at all. Aang winced as another fireball shot past his head, setting the tree-tops on fire. He was expending all his energy on making sure a raging forest fire didn't start around them, he and Katara both. Toph would occasionally raise up enough dirt to smother the fires starting on the ground all around them, but most of her attention was on fighting off the hordes of soldiers pouring into the battle from every direction. Apparently this rebellion was far larger than Zuko, or any of them for that matter, realized.

"This is nuts!" Toph yelled out to no one in particular, but Aang found himself nodding in agreement. Nuts, indeed.

He took a moment to sweep some soldiers advancing on her position off their feet and into the tree-tops before turning his attention back to the fiery foliage. The loss of any more land to a conflagration was more than he could bear, not after witnessing the scorching Ozai had inflicted on the coast of the Earth Kingdom. More than two years later, it caused him almost physical pain to see the world, even just this small part of it, once more aflame.

His aerial movements caught the attention of two more Fire Benders, who immediately lobbed fire balls toward him. A blast of water fizzled them into nothing before they reached him, and he smiled. Katara was still in the fight; he'd lost track of her for a while, but knew that as long as they all stood together, they could handle anything.

That was his last thought before something hit him in the back of the head with a terrible cracking sound, and he fell to earth in a haze of blackness and pain.


	42. Aftermath

**Some Time Later**

"Aang? Can you hear me?"

Aang's eyelids fluttered open, then shut again. The high-pitched voice was too much for his aching head. "Drat, I can't tell if he's conscious or not!"

"I saw his eyes open," another voice offered, deeper in timbre but no less annoying.

Gentle hands shook his shoulders, but the voice grew louder. "Aang! Wake up, it's me, Toph! Can you hear me!"

"I c'n hear," Aang mumbled, turning his head irritably to the side. Why did Toph always have to be such a loudmouth, especially when he had such a terrible headache?

Then he remembered the reason for the headache, and his eyes flew open. Toph was leaning over him, and Sokka's head quickly appeared over her shoulder, both looking at him anxiously. Well, Toph's facial expression was anxious, anyway. He must have given them quite a scare for her to actually show how she felt. "What hit me? What's going on with the battle? Did we win? Are we prisoners?" The questions flew out of him too rapidly to be answered.

Toph settled back on her heels. "Well, I guess he'll be OK." She sounded relieved as she reached down to help pull him to a sitting position. He winced as the pain in his head grew to a pounding, then settled back down to just a bad ache once he was upright. He looked around; no sign of guards, no sign of fighting, just the three of them in the middle of the woods. "You got hit by an arrow, but it was just a graze, hardly any blood at all but it knocked you silly." Aang's fingers felt gingerly at the huge lump forming on the back of his head, the center of the pain he was feeling.

"The battle's over." Sokka picked up the narrative. He sounded weary but triumphant. "I guess while we were busy making sure you hadn't become a permanent resident of the forest, reinforcements showed up." A huge grin split his features. "My dad and the rest of Zuko's navy, and some other navy ships from the Fire Kingdom. It made all the difference. So we won, we're not prisoners, and everyone's gonna be relieved we finally found you."

"Yeah, especially since Zuko's still missing," Toph chimed in glumly. "I guess my idea to help Sparky deal with his dad kinda backfired."

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly help much, either," Sokka replied. At Aang's confused look, he clarified: "I got there in time to keep him from being fried by one of Ozai's fanatics, but while the two of us were fighting, Zuko disappeared."

"Zuko WHAT?!?" The voice came from behind them, a female shriek they quickly identified as Katara's. Her form followed her voice as thrust her way hurriedly through the underbrush.

"Sorry, Sugar Queen, I didn't realize you were that close," Toph said sheepishly. "But yeah, he's missing, along with Ozai and some of his lieutenants. But your dad captured Mai's father, that's something, right?"

"I know about that, I thought Zuko was with you guys," Katara replied impatiently, then stopped and gathered herself. "Sorry, Aang, how are you?" She knelt down by his side without waiting for an answer, scooping some water out of the skin hanging at her belt and encasing her hands in the soothing wetness before placing them gently on his head. The pain instantly vanished, and she pulled herself away while Aang patted at the back of his and smiled gratefully.

As the pain faded, he pulled himself to his feet, reaching down automatically to help Toph as well. She'd removed the hated boots at some point, and her feet had returned to their natural state of, well, filth. She looked a little singed around the edges, as did they all, himself included. He thought she looked wonderful _So does Katara,_ he added hastily, feeling guilty somehow that his first thoughts along those lines hadn't been for the woman he supposedly loved.

"When did Zuko vanish?" Katara was demanding as they started making their way back to the main clearing. She almost tripped over a red-clad body in her haste to rejoin her father and General Tsing; Sokka grabbed her arm to steady her, but she quickly shrugged him off. "I'm fine," she said, but she sounded shaken. "So many dead," she whispered. "Why did Ozai have to start this stupid war? Things were going so well, and now Zuko's gone and I may never get the chance to say yes!"

Aang knew exactly what she was talking about, and waited for the pain to clench his heart at the thought of Katara marrying someone else. The moment passed, and he was surprised to realize how little it hurt. _Maybe I'm getting over her,_ he mused to himself. _Maybe I really _am_ ready to move on._ His thoughts occupied the entire walk back, as Sokka explained what little they knew to Katara and started planning aloud exactly how they'd get Zuko back.

Toph walked behind them all. She, too, knew exactly what Katara had meant, and had braced herself from the burst of emotion that would send Aang's heart racing in distress. The fact that nothing happened at all came as a surprise, a pleasant one. Was he finally getting over his stupid infatuation? Her own heart surged with joy, which she sternly suppressed. _Don't go getting your hopes up,_ she chided herself. _Over one girl doesn't mean ready to fall in love with another._

But she couldn't help humming quietly to herself as Aang held branches away for her and guided her over the occasional tree root. At least he wasn't asking why she was suddenly so cheerful; she didn't think she'd be able to answer that question. Not just yet.

**oOo**

Hakoda and Admiral Wei stood next to each other, listening intently as General Tsing explained everything that had occurred before their well-timed arrival. Their unexpected presence had turned the tide of the battle, even though the outcome still wasn't fully favorable. "No one has seen Fire Lord Zuko or his father, or their bodies. Some of my men are searching for them, while the rest recover the bodies and put out the remaining fires," Tsing finished grimly.

"What of the Avatar and my children?" Hakoda demanded. He'd seen Katara briefly, knew that she was unharmed and pleased to see him, but she'd run off to find her friends before he could do more than ascertain those few facts.

"I saw Sokka," his second-in-command, Satsi, volunteered as he strode up to the small group. "He was going after Aang as well. He looked pretty undamaged," he added, knowing that was what his Chief would want to hear most of all.

Hakoda allowed himself a brief smile of relief, which rapidly turned to a frown. "Are we sure all of Ozai's men have surrendered? There could still be isolated pockets of fighting in all this cursed underbrush."

"Don't worry, Sokka's a seasoned fighter," Tsing said confidently. "He knows enough to watch for an ambush."

Hakoda quietly basked in the praise on his son's behalf; who would have known his children would come to be so highly valued by members of the Fire Nation? Perhaps the rumors he'd been hearing about Katara's relationship with Zuko weren't so unwelcome after all.

As if summoned by their father's fond thoughts, Sokka and Katara entered the clearing, followed closely by Toph and Aang.

"You found him! Thank Agni!" Tsing exclaimed at the sight of the slightly scorched Avatar. "No sign of Zuko, then?"

Sokka shook his head. "No luck. I guess that means you guys haven't found him, either." He glanced over his shoulder. "We did run into a couple of hold-outs who tried to ambush us, but we took care of them."

"You mean I took care of them," Toph grumbled. "I'm the one who heard them coming and shoved a couple of rocks up their--"

"Yes, well, we're just glad you made it back safely," Tsing interposed hastily.

Katara took the time to hug her father, but only, he felt, because she thought he wanted her to. "Father, we have to find Zuko," she said quietly. "If Ozai has him, who knows what he'll do to him." She clamped her lips tightly shut, but Hakoda saw the betraying quiver of her lower lip. Two years ago she would have given in to the tears she was so valiantly holding back, and he felt his heart swell with quiet pride. His children had turned out so well, and there was very little he could credit to himself as a parent.

"We have search parties out," he told his daughter gently. "But I know you won't rest easy until you and your friends have had a chance to look for him yourselves. So go, but be careful. Admiral Wei and I can take care of getting the prisoners to the ships while General Tsing continues the ground search--"

"And Aang helps us look from the air," Katara broke in gratefully. "Thank you. I promise, I'll be careful. I know you didn't ask, but I also know you wanted to," she added with a hint of a smile, one that quickly faded as she hugged him again, this time with true affection. "We'll be back as soon as we find him."

"And we'll send Momo to bring you back if we find him first," Hakoda promised.

Katara nodded, then released her hold and strode back over to where Aang and General Tsing were conferring in low voices. "All right, let's go. Everyone knows you survived, now it's time to prove to them that Zuko did, too."

If anyone was going to object, none of them did so. Sokka shrugged into a field pack, Toph flexed her fists, and Aang bowed respectfully to General Tsing before rising gracefully into the air. "I'll do a quick recon and meet you north of here." He quickly soared away.

North was the only direction a fugitive could go, due to the island's rocky coastal topography; either that or due south, where the Fire Nation ships and troops were waiting to take any remaining rebels prisoner. The obvious destination for Ozai was the rebel stronghold, and Mai's father, voice quaking, had readily given up its location when offered imprisonment rather than execution for his treasonous acts.

Katara plunged back into the forest without another word, Toph and Sokka quickly following. Hakoda and Tsing watched them go, then turned back to Admiral Wei, who had opened a map of the northern territories and was poring over it.


	43. Imposing Order

**The Palace**

The Council Chamber was utter chaos. Ursa stood by the door, watching as the advisors to the Fire Lord argued and shouted amongst themselves. A message had been received; Katara and Toph had been rescued, the rebels apparently routed, but Ozai and Zuko were missing. Once they were found, the expedition would return. And that was all, frustratingly brief. No orders about how to handle things in the meantime, no indication that Hakoda and Admiral Wei had arrived, just a few short words scribbled in Iroh's characteristic "I'm in a whomping great hurry" handwriting (still so much neater than Zuko's best calligraphy), so at least she knew he was alive, even if his signature at the bottom hadn't confirmed it.

She'd delivered the good part of the news to Suki, who had promptly demanded to hear the rest of it. "I don't suppose the note says anything about Sokka," she'd said with a catch in her voice. One of her Kyoshi warriors had taken her hand soothingly, but her eyes had never left those of Lady Ursa. She'd merely shaken her head, murmured something about bringing them any additional news as soon as she heard it, and made her escape. Cowardly, but she'd much rather be where she was now, preparing to face down the Council, than back in that poor girl's house. They both understood the meaning of loss, but Ursa knew from experience how volatile a pregnant woman's emotions could be. Suki had to be in much more pain than she'd shown.

The shouting in the room increased in pitch and volume, and one frustrated Councilor even threw an inkwell at whoever was sitting opposite him. The guards stepped in before it could become even more violent, respectfully bowing as they forced both men back into their seats.

Ursa took a deep breath. It was now or never. A brief lull had fallen over the room as the other Councilors took in what had almost erupted into a fist fight; before they could do more than start whispering amongst themselves, Ursa walked serenely to the head of the table and sat herself in Zuko's empty seat.

_Let the fun begin,_ she thought dourly as she looked down the table at the shocked faces before her. It had taken her far too long to take action, she knew that now, but she'd been waiting and hoping for her son's return. In his absence, someone had to take charge, and that someone apparently had to be her. Time for others to know of her decision. "In my son's continued absence, and in the absence of further instructions from either him or Lord Iroh, I am asserting my rights to reassume the title of Fire Lady. Upon their return, I will surrender the throne back to my son or his designated heir, whichever becomes necessary. So note that, Secretary Chi'an."

The elderly man in charge of supervising the Council recorders gaped at her for a moment before breaking into a wide grin and bobbing his head in a series of delighted nods. "Right away, Fire Lady Ursa. It is so noted."

He made hurrying notions toward the scribes, who had stopped in mid-scribble to gape at Ursa along with the rest of the room's occupants. All but the guards, who had returned to their posts by the door and stood as stoic as always. If Ursa was to be thrown out for her audacity, it would have to be by direct and unanimous command of the Council, she'd checked the protocols before entering the room today. Checked and double-checked, wanting to make absolutely certain of how to proceed. She had several law-readers standing by to back her up if necessary, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that. Someone had to do something, or the entire kingdom would fall into chaos worse than that she'd just witnessed.

The entire room fell deathly still, no sound but that of the scribes' quills scratching on parchment as they quickly wrote down her exact words. Their work would be painstakingly checked, one against the other, all errors or disagreements straightened out and mediated by Secretary Chi'an, until consensus was reached and the records were either stricken or placed in the official records. Depending on the Council's own consensus after the fact.

Ursa again looked down the table, judging the mood of the Council before speaking again. "Please state your objections for the record, or confirm my actions. We are in a time of crisis and must present a united front if the Fire Nation is to survive." That was sure to stir a reaction.

The sixteen remaining Council members immediately broke out in a confused babble, some voices rising angrily above others, words like "precedence" and "audacity" and even "treason" could be heard, but when the outcry died down, only six men had risen to their feet to protest her action. The rest remained seated, facing her expectantly, and one by one the others joined them. She'd gambled that the majority of the Councilors just wanted order restored no matter who was doing the restoring, and it seemed she'd been right. Of course, they would all immediately begin plotting against her, and she just prayed Zuko and Iroh returned home before anything came of that.

When all had retaken their seats, Councilor Sora looked around, then rose once again to his feet. As the senior Councilor remaining, he was the one who had to make verbal confirmation of her actions, and from the sour look on his face, it wasn't exactly his first wish. "Fire Lady Ursa is so confirmed as temporary head of the Council until such time as Lord Iroh returns to properly designate Fire Lord Zuko's heir."

"Or until such time as Fire Lord Zuko himself returns." That was Lord Yui, junior-most member of the Council, and one who had firmly remained seated and quiet during the tumult following Ursa's announcement. She would have to keep an eye on him; he seemed to have more sense than many of his elders, and she suspected that only his more humble status and relative youth had kept him from imposing some kind of order before this. Yes, they would have to have a quiet talk after this meeting was over.

"Or until such time as Fire Lord Zuko returns," Sora grumblingly repeated, then sat down after offering a stiff bow to Ursa.

"I promise I will uphold my duties and willing relinquish them when my son returns." Ursa meant every word, and made eye contact with each and every member of the Council to impress upon them how seriously she took her new responsibilities. "The first order of business will be the release of the Lady Mai from prison." There were more under-breath grumbles at those words, but no one spoke in true protest. "The next order of business is confirming that the rebellion is truly quelled. I propose a fact-finding mission, since communications continue to be spotty at best."

Lord Yui leapt to his feet. "I volunteer, Fire Lady. It would be an honor to serve in such a manner."

She suspected his eagerness was as much so he could prove himself and get away from the others as it was a desire to serve his nation, but she kept such opinions to herself as she nodded gracefully to him. "Your services are gladly accepted, Lord Yui. Please remain after the Council meeting so we can discuss the particulars."

More grumbling, none of it serious, none of it contradicting her directly. Of course, none of the remaining fifteen Councilors wanted to leave the comfort and relative safety of the palace. She'd counted on that, actually, and was content to listen to their other concerns before raising more of her own.

_Zuko will have a kingdom to return to,_ she silently vowed. _No matter what I have to do to keep everything together._


	44. Runaround

**North – Two Days Later**

"There's no one here!" Sokka made the announcement after yet another sweep of the rebel headquarters. They'd trekked through the forest for almost two days, seeing signs everywhere of past troop movements in the opposite direction, but no signs of anyone returning, at least not in large numbers. Aang had seen nothing from his aerial view, and Toph hadn't felt anything through the vibrations in the ground, but they pressed on. After all, Ozai and anyone else fleeing had a head start, knew the terrain better, and could possibly have evaded them.

"That's impossible, they must have come and gone or are hiding or something," Aang protested.

Sokka looked at him. "Did you see anyone while you were flying overhead? When you first got here? Any signs of smoke from campfires or, heck, even fire itself, fireballs, anyone shooting at you with flaming arrows? Anything?"

Aang hung his head. "No," he admitted. "And I guess they would have tried to shoot me down if they saw me." He looked up, his expression brightening again. "Hey, maybe it's just that no one saw me!"

"Aang, if anyone was here, they would have seen you. They would have been looking for you," Sokka pointed out patiently. "If anyone was here, they would have expected to be chased here. They would have set traps or ambushes. There would have been fresh signs. But there's nothing." He surveyed the rocky outcroppings that masked the abandoned headquarters, the clearing showing signs of old fires, the occasional abandoned piece of equipment or clothing littering the ground. "Let's face it; they didn't come this way."

Katara appeared at that moment. "Then where are they?" She sounded as frantic as she had at the beginning of the search. "Where did he take Zuko?"

The other three started with alarm as their water pouches suddenly started sloshing wildly, as if they'd been simultaneously jostled by some invisible force.

"Whoah, hold on, calm down, Sis," Sokka said, holding up his hands placatingly. "We'll find them, don't get your panties in a twist."

As he'd hoped, she was distracted by his deliberate crudeness. "Sokka! If Suki heard you talking like that…"

"She'd put _my_ panties in a twist, I know, I know." Sokka flushed as he realized what he'd said. "Not that I wear panties, I meant pants, you know I meant pants…"

"We know what you meant, O King of Putting His Foot In His Mouth," Toph interjected. "Now let's get back to figuring out what to do next." She plopped into a sitting position, a small earthen "seat" rising up to meet her bottom almost as an afterthought.

"We could keep heading north," Aang offered uncertainly. He'd been flitting about, and came to rest as if by accident next to Toph, raising up his own stony "seat" close to hers. She started, just a little, but no one noticed. At least, she didn't think they did, but then, she couldn't see the satisfied smile that curled over Aang's lips.

Katara shook her head. "No. This is a dead end, I just didn't want to admit it. I should have listened to you sooner, Sokka," she added, turning to her brother. "You wanted to turn around but I was so sure they'd be here…"

He walked over to pat her on the shoulder as she dropped her head into her hands. "Hey, don't cry, we'll find them…"

She looked up, eyes dry and bright with anger and determination. "Of course we'll find him," she snapped. "So let's get moving."

"Where?" Aang asked even as he obediently sprang to his feet, reaching out almost automatically to take Toph's hand, then checking himself in surprise at the last second, then reaching for her hand anyway. This bit of byplay wasn't lost on either of Hakoda's children, who exchanged brief glances, each arching an eyebrow as Toph accepted Aang's hand without a scathing comment and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"Back the way we came," Sokka announced before Katara could do more than open her mouth. "If they didn't come this way, they must have gone back the other way. I don't suppose you could get Appa to come and get us?" he added with a hopeful look at Aang.

"If we had Momo with us, I could send him, but the best I could do now is glide ahead of the rest of you and bring him to meet you. That would save us at least a day," Aang replied. They'd considered taking Appa in the first place, then decided against it in favor of slogging it out on foot in hopes of spotting a trail or even finding the fleeing fugitives in the forest.

Sokka nodded. "Do it," he ordered. "We'll take the same path we took getting here so you'll know where to find us."

Toph immediately sat back down. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for a nap."

In the midst of opening his glider-staff, Aang hesitated. "I'm a little tired, too," he said hesitantly, glancing at Katara. "Plus it's almost night. I think it might be a good idea if we all start off first thing in the morning."

Before Katara could object, Sokka nodded his agreement. "I'll take the first watch. You all try and get to sleep. All of you," he added, giving his sister a stern look. "We won't find them any quicker if we wear ourselves out."

"Fine," she grunted, heading for one of the shallow overhangs and curling up in the cloak she'd accepted from General Tsing at the beginning of their journey. "Just make sure and wake me up when it's my turn to watch."

"Yeah, me too," Toph said sardonically as she created a stone tent around herself. "Oops, I meant when it's my turn to listen."

"I don't think I can sleep just yet," Aang said quietly to Sokka as he knelt to build a fire. "Why don't you let me take the first watch?"

Sokka yawned and stretched. "Fine with me. Wake me up in a few hours." He wrapped himself in his own borrowed cape and stretched out next to Katara, appearing to fall asleep as soon as his head touched the ground.

**oOo**

It was barely daylight when Katara, who had taken last watch, started waking everyone else up. Toph was already up and eating by the time Katara got Sokka awake, after being forced to splash a serious amount of water over his head.

"Suki! Is it the baby?!?" he spluttered in half-asleep confusion before realizing where he was. "Oh, Katara." He scrubbed his hands over his eyes. "Why didn't anyone wake me up for my watch?"

"Because none of us has any experience in waking the dead," Toph replied, licking her fingers. "Besides, I thought you were taking first watch."

"Well, we're all up and safe so it's no use worrying about it," Aang interjected before an argument could erupt. He popped the last morsel of breakfast into his mouth, then air-bent his way to the top of the nearest hill. Opening his glider-staff, he leapt into the air, heading directly south. "I'll see you soon!" he yelled before vanishing over the tree-tops.

"Hurry up, Sokka," Katara ordered as she rolled her cloak up and settled it on her back. "Toph and I are ready to go. We can't waste any more time."

"I'm coming," he grumbled, hastily stuffing his face and gathering up his own small pile of belongings. "But Katara," he added as they headed back into the forest, "you know this could be just as much of a wild goose chase, heading back south. For all we know they just rappelled down one of the cliffs."

"Didn't you study the island before we landed?" Katara asked as she continued to walk. "The only beaches are on the south and north ends. So if they didn't come this way, they must have faked us out and doubled back."

"Which means it's just as likely that Iroh and General Tsing and Admiral Wei and Father already have Ozai, and that Zuko is safe," Sokka added in an attempt at raising her spirits.

"Don't be stupid, Sokka," she snapped back, moving even faster. "They would have sent Momo to find us. You're the master strategist; figure out why they would have gone south and how they could've avoided being caught. They have a hostage, right?"

"Yeah." Sokka moved along automatically, his mind busy figuring out the possible ramifications of Ozai heading directly into enemy territory. "They probably figure they can use Zuko to buy their escape," he muttered. "At least, Ozai would try that. He'd probably leave his men to rot if they weren't any use to him anymore, and it's easier to escape with just himself and a prisoner than with whatever was left of his army." His words became unintelligible as he continued to consider various scenarios, which was fine with Katara. She only wanted him to occupy his mind instead of trying to make her feel better; when he was thinking it was always better than when he was just working on emotion alone.

That, she had to admit, was usually her problem. She would have just sent Aang off into the night sky without thinking of how tired he must be, or how tired any of them were, for that matter. All she could think of was finding Zuko. All this time lost going in the wrong direction, but who could have known? It made sense, but none of them had taken into account the fact that they were dealing with a lunatic. _Well, I'm taking that into account now_, Katara thought grimly as she pushed another branch out of her way. _Ozai just better watch out._


	45. Betrayal

**Two Days Earlier**

"He's coming around."

"Good. Give him this."

The sound of a stopper being pulled from a flask, a sloshing noise. Zuko moaned as these soft noises crashed through his brain with the strength of a fire blast, aided in no small part by the voices that insisted on wavering in and out of focus.

Before he could pull his blurry thoughts together, someone took him roughly by the shoulders and tilted his head back, pouring some kind of cold liquid down his throat. He coughed and sputtered, tried weakly to bat it away, to no avail.

Zuko closed his eyes, willing whatever restorative he'd been given to start working. However, instead of clearing, his mind became even fuzzier, if possible. He blinked his eyes open once again, forcing them to focus on the face in front of his.

It was his father. With a snarl, Zuko strained to launch himself at the older man, only to discover that his hands and feet were bound. "Wh--what did…you…give me? Poison?"

Ozai laughed contemptuously. "Poison? Why bother? I could have killed you before you woke. No, I merely gave you something to keep you under control for long enough."

"Long enough for what?" Zuko managed to spit out with some defiance. Then the world spun, became black, and he returned to unconsciousness.

"Remove his bindings," Ozai ordered. "This has to look real, or his men will become suspicious." He gazed dispassionately at his son's unconscious form, answering his last question even though he knew Zuko could no longer hear him. "I need you under control long enough to fool your airship crew into allowing us on board so we can escape, of course."

**oOo**

"Sir, there's a group coming out of the forest," the lookout reported. "They appear to be some of the sailors from Admiral Wei's men." He tensed suddenly, his voice rising with concern. "It's the Fire Lord! He appears to be unconscious and injured!"

"Send help immediately," the captain ordered, not wasting time on further details. "I'll get a message out that Lord Zuko is with us." _With us, and safe,_ he prayed fervently as the lookout called down for help in bringing the Fire Lord on board.

There were about a half-dozen soldiers, two of them carrying Zuko on a make-shift stretcher. The Fire Lord looked terrible, burns over many parts of his body, his head wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage. Obviously something must have happened to the Lady Katara, or she would be accompanying him back to the air ship, the captain fretted. Not that he'd ever let anyone know how charmed he'd quickly become by the Fire Lord's feisty young love, but the thought that something worse had befallen her wasn't likely to be rejoiced over by anyone but the fools in the rebellion. Even people who didn't like the idea of the Fire Lord courting a Water Tribe "peasant" generally had nothing against Katara personally.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of the gang plank being lowered with a "thunk" to the edge of the cliff, near the moorings that kept them safely anchored to land.

Moving swiftly to the small writing table that opened out from under the control panel, he scribbled out a note, rolling it up and placing it into the tube that would be affixed to the messenger hawk's leg. Before he could do more than turn, however, the sound of a muffled shout and the louder sounds of a scuffle of some sort broke out below decks.

The rebels, it had to be them. Somehow they'd managed to attack while his men were aiding the Fire Lord. Wasting no time, he turned to the controls of the airship. With only a skeleton crew on board and no way for the ocean-going fleet below to come to their immediate aid, there was only one thing to do to keep the rebels from gaining control of the vessel, and he did it with ruthless efficiency.

The sounds of battle drew closer, but the captain knew with a sinking heart that this only meant that his men were losing. _I should have suspected a trap,_ he thought bitterly, just as the door to the bridge burst open. He whirled to face his attackers, his face paling as he beheld Lord Ozai, backed up by several Fire Benders with hands at the ready.

The captain kept his own hands by his sides. There was no way he'd be able to so much as twitch without being burned down where he stood, and he could tell by the eager expressions on Ozai's rebels that they were anxious for him to make that twitch. "You won't be able to get anywhere," he said calmly. "The controls have been damaged."

Those were his last words. With an enraged cry, the man to Ozai's left blasted him where he stood.

Without changing expression, Ozai backhanded the man. "Fool," he said contemptuously. "Only he knew the exact nature of the sabotage he committed. Now we will be forced to spend extra time in finding out exactly what he did. You may have given Zuko's traitorous followers time to capture us." He turned toward the man with a glare that could have melted stone. "You know what to do."

The man paled, beads of sweat springing up on his forehead. Lips compressed, he nodded, bowed, then marched off the bridge. Ozai moved to the front windows, and waited. A few minutes later, the man's form appeared on the bluff. He turned and faced the airship, bowed once more, then formed balls of flame over each hand. Without a word, without a sign of hesitation, he turned those flames upon himself.

As the fire spread over his body, he finally gave in to the agony, screaming, writhing in pain, until it was all over, and there was nothing left but a charred, smoking corpse. Ozai nodded as it ended. "Take this body," he nudged the captain's equally charred form with one booted foot, "and put it with the others. Throw them all over the cliff," he amended, "including that fool's." He gestured toward the window, not even turning to acknowledge the bow the second man offered before dashing off the bridge to put Ozai's orders into action.

"Now we shall see how far they are willing to go to keep Zuko alive," he murmured, watching dispassionately as his men scurried to obey his orders. The smoking remains were slung onto a blanket, bundled up, and discarded like the garbage they were, hurled over the cliff and into the unforgiving depths of the ocean.


	46. Waiting is the Hardest

**The Present**

Katara stared at the airship tethered with deceptive ease to the cliff's edge. Zuko was on that airship, along with his father and an unknown number of his fanatical followers. When Appa had swooped down on their position without Aang on board, she knew the situation had to be dire. The terse note he'd left pinned to the reins had confirmed what she already knew. "Come quickly. Zuko being held hostage on the airship." She, Toph, and Sokka had climbed aboard without comment after she read that note aloud, and now here they were. Appa lay in an exhausted heap at the forest's edge, having pushed himself to the limit to get them there as quickly as possible.

Even so, it might have been too late if not for the bravery of the airship's now deceased captain. Somehow, he must have had the wits and time to sabotage the controls, or else Ozai and his men would have been long gone by the time Katara and the others made it back.

And now they were here, and who knew how long it would be before Ozai found some way to fix the ship and take off? It was a stand-off; Aang and Momo had both attempted to surreptitiously board the craft, only to be detected and driven off by fire attacks each time. The poor lemur-monkey had gotten his tail singed, and Aang refused to allow him to try again. Now, he rested against Appa's side, watching events without his usual excited chatter, ears drooping lower as the morning passed.

So far, Ozai had made no demands, other than that they keep away from the airship while he and his men attempted to repair some kind of damage the captain had inflicted before being burned to death. There were an unknown number of dead, their bodies all washed out to sea, and an equally unknown number of hostages besides Zuko still on board. Also unknown was the exact number of Ozai's followers who had made it on board the airship. Everyone presumed the first demand the deposed Fire Lord and self-styled "Phoenix King" would make would be for a skilled engineer, or alternate transportation. As long as Zuko was offered in exchange, Katara suspected he would get what he asked for, as much as it galled them to give Ozai anything.

"I should never have taken us north," Katara said quietly, recognizing her brother's footsteps behind her. She shrugged her shoulder out of his sympathetic grip. "I should have known it was too obvious."

"No, I should have known that," Sokka corrected her glumly as he moved to stand next to her. "I'm supposed to be the tactical genius."

"No one could have foreseen this," a third voice chimed in from behind them. Katara started at the sound of her father's voice, but kept her eyes trained on the airship. "It was suicidal and insane.

"But it worked," Katara pointed out bitterly. "If not for Captain Lao-Yi's brave sacrifice…"

"Because of that sacrifice, Ozai was unable to escape," Hakoda reminded her gently. "He will be remembered as a hero, no matter how this plays out."

"You mean even if Ozai kills Zuko," Katara corrected him. The bitterness increased as she turned to glare at her father. "I guess that would be just fine with everyone outside the Fire Nation."

Her father stiffened in anger. "Daughter, do not lay your bitterness on my shoulders. You know how we were treated by the Fire Nation. Old hatreds die hard, but Zuko has shown himself to be an honorable ruler. Many would sorrow if he died, including myself. I know you are speaking from your heart and not with your mind, but if you wish to be a true wife to Zuko, you must learn to curb your tongue until you have thought things through."

Katara bowed her head in shame. "I know, you're right," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. She batted them away. "But I'm just so worried…wait, what did you say?" she asked, starting directly at her father as his final admonition penetrated.

"You heard me," he replied softly. "Yes, I know all about your situation and your feelings for the Fire Lord. And when he is able to, I will give my permission for him to ask for your hand. I wanted to you to know that, even if things do not turn out the way we hope."

Katara threw her arms around her father in an enormous hug. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully. Then she straightened, wiping the last of the tears from her cheeks, her expression hardening. "And thank you for reminding me that I need to think, not just react."

Hakoda frowned, but it was Sokka who jumped in with the obvious question. "What do you have in mind?"

Katara's gaze returned to the airship. Every now and then one of Ozai's men would appear, look around menacingly, then return to the interior. Zuko would be shown periodically as well, but not to any predictable pattern that anyone had been able to discern. "We need to be ready the next time Zuko is brought out," she said, her voice quiet but full of intensity. "Sokka, you're right; you're supposed to be the tactical genius, so I need you to let me know if you think this'll work, or if it's just wishful thinking on my part. You too, Dad," she added, flashing her father a wan smile. "And the Admiral and General Tsing and Aang and Uncle Iroh as well. I want everyone to hear what I'm thinking and let me know if it'll work."

Sokka nodded, giving her his full attention. "I'll get everyone together." He dashed off at top speed, and once again Katara's gaze returned to the airship.

**oOo**

Aang watched Katara as she stared out at the airship. He was still limping from his attempt at boarding the craft; only the fact that he was an Air Bender had saved him from tumbling to his death, joining the other corpses Ozai had thrown over the cliff's edge. Hakoda's ship had attempted to retrieve them, only to be driven off by the churning waves and treacherous rocks. Zuko had chosen to anchor the airship here, a mile away from the cove where the ships he'd brought with him had sailed into, because it was more easily defended; an ironic choice now.

That's all his life seemed to be, lately, a series of ironies he still hadn't quite sorted out. He was the Avatar, yet he couldn't seem to help his friends when they needed him most. The woman he loved (had loved, still loved…emotions were too darned confusing) loved someone else, and the girl he'd thought of as a close friend was in love with him. "It was a lot simpler when were just trying to stop the Fire Nation," he mumbled to himself.

Of course Toph heard him. He felt her footsteps as she joined him. "I still say I should just smash it," she grumbled. "That'd get Ozai's attention."

"Yeah, but it might also get Zuko killed," he pointed out, as he had already when she'd first offered up her solution to the stand-off. "We don't know exactly where he's being held, and since it seems Ozai's keeping him drugged, he won't be able to fend for himself if we go for the direct attack." The same reasoning held for an attack by fire as well.

"What if Sparky isn't even alive?" Toph asked the question they'd all been avoiding. "What if they've just been showing us his body to keep us from attacking?"

"He's alive." While Aang's attention had been on Toph, Katara had given up her vigil and come to join them. "I can tell."

Aang started to ask how, then stopped himself. She was probably just claiming that because she didn't want to face the truth: Zuko might, indeed, be dead. No one could see him clearly enough to tell if he was still breathing when his captors showed him, even with a spyglass.

"I wasn't just staring out at nothing," Katara continued, as if divining the uncomfortable direction his thoughts were taking. "I was trying to see if I could use Blood Bending to tell people apart on the ship. It's something I've been working on," she insisted, noting the skeptical looks on her friends' faces. "But it takes a lot of concentration and it helps if whoever I'm looking for isn't moving around, either." She took a deep breath. "That's why I think my plan will work."

Before either of her friends could ask what plan she was talking about, they were joined by Sokka, Hakoda, Admiral Wei and General Tsing. "Well, I guess we'll find out now," Toph said. "So what is it?"

"I can tell where Zuko is, at least I think I can," Katara announced. Startled murmurs broke out from the newcomers' lips. "I was just telling Toph and Aang, I've been trying to see what I can do with my Blood Bending, like how I can tell water is near because of my Water Bending skills. I've been trying to see if anyone on the ship stays in one place for any length of time, and there's only one that I can consistently sense that isn't in the control room. The people there have to be the men Ozai has fixing Captain Lao-Yi's sabotage, and they move around just enough that I catch snatches of them, lose them, and catch them again. They're in close proximity to each other so I can't even tell how many there are, exactly, but I do know that can't be Zuko. So he has to be the other one."

General Tsing looked at her doubtfully. "Lady Katara, are you sure?"

She shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "As sure as I can be. The only other time we know where he is, is when they bring him out to show us, and that's so quick there's nothing we've been able to do, right?" She looked around as the men nodded. She took a deep breath. "So here's what I'm thinking…"


	47. Plan In Motion

**oOo**

It was dark, and his head hurt, and he couldn't seem to gather his thoughts. Or move, for that matter; his muscles were cramping, legs and arms and back and neck and everywhere in between. A groan escaped his lips before he could stop it, but no one commented. _Why would they?_ he wondered fuzzily. Why should he even care is someone heard him groan? Even Fire Lords felt pain, although his father would certainly have never allowed anyone to voice such an opinion, either to his face or behind his back.

His father…something about Lord Ozai. Was he being punished again? If only he could remember…

A bright light, a loud noise, and Zuko looked up, blinking rapidly as his eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden disappearance of the darkness. "Ah, so my son is awake. Apparently the _Li-chara_ berry isn't as effective as my apothecary promised." And that was a promise of punishment to that particular servant; Zuko knew the tone well.

The silhouetted figure moved into the room and crouched down; it was then that Zuko realized he was lying on the floor. And the reason he couldn't move, the reason his body was so cramped and uncomfortable, was because he was tied hand and foot. There were other pains as well, pains that the cramping had hidden; a tender, burning spot near his shoulder, an ache in his head, dryness in his mouth…a prisoner, he suddenly remembered in a burst of clarity. He was a prisoner, and his father had taken him…somewhere.

That was as far as he could reason in his weakened state, and Ozai didn't appear to be forthcoming with any other explanations. Typical. Other evildoers might sneer and gloat, but not the Phoenix King. He apparently had just come in to make sure his prisoner was still alive, because as abruptly as he had approached, he left the room, slamming the door behind him and once again cutting off the light.

The rapid changes were too much; Zuko slumped back into unconsciousness, never even noticing when the airship lurched to one side, sliding him against the wall.

**Outside**

"Well?"

"It's him, it has to be him." Katara relaxed her rigid stance, turning slightly to offer a tremulous smile to her father and brother, standing patiently by her side as they had been for nearly an hour while she concentrated. "He didn't move until Aang tilted the ship."

All three of them turned their attention to the Avatar, floating patiently in front of the airship, waiting for the inevitable tirade from Ozai regarding the sudden blast of air that had lifted the ship on one side, nearly tearing it free from the mooring.

Katara's plan had been adopted, with some modifications and no dearth of reluctance from the military men. At her challenge to them to produce a better one, Tsing had given a lop-sided grimace of frustration and bowed to acknowledge that two days had passed during the stand-off, with no end in sight. Unless, of course, Katara's plan worked, and so far, at least, the first part had gone off exactly as she'd hoped.

Admiral Wei pulled out a set of hastily-drawn plans detailing the interior of the Fire Lord's personal airship and laid them on the ground at her feet. They were far enough away from the airship that they hoped to remain unnoticed while Aang held Ozai's attention.

Right on schedule, the former Fire Lord showed himself at the head of the ramp, demanding to know what they thought they were doing, did they want to kill Zuko themselves, and generally screaming imprecations that caused the Avatar to visibly blanch, although Toph was heard to murmur appreciatively from time to time at the quality of the verbal abuse Ozai offered.

Katara looked over the plans, her finger hovering over the mid-section of the ship. "I think he's here," she said, pointing at a series of small rooms off a side-branching corridor. "In one of these rooms. And he's not tied or chained to anything, because when the ship rolled, so did he." She returned her attention to the airship, ignoring Ozai's continued presence as well as that of the rebels who had joined him at the head of the ramp, presumably to offer protection in case this turned out to be a ruse to draw him out. Which it was, but not for the reason he no doubt expected.

Aang was now explaining that it was an "accident", in that patient, almost-adult tone he used to such good effect under normal circumstances. Of course, normal circumstances hardly applied, but he still pretended well enough that he was opening diplomatic negotiations with someone sane.

Once Katara determined that Aang seemed to have things under control, she returned her attention to the roughly-sketched plans. "I can't tell exactly which room, but these three are really close together and pretty small." She nodded, chin thrust out aggressively. "I know he's in one of them."

"Those are the Fire Lord's private office and chambers," Wei agreed. "A sensible place to hold him."

"But he won't be there for much longer," Sokka reminded them. "Especially not after Aang's little air-wave." He moved his hand in imitation of the airship's recent juddering side-swipe.

"I know, but I had to make sure he wasn't tied down, even if he is tied up," Katara said impatiently, if not very coherently. She stood up and looked over toward Aang again; if anyone on the airship decided to attack him, he was too vulnerable. And the plan she'd outlined to the others meant he would be put into an even more vulnerable position. And her real plan, the one she was currently keeping to herself even as she put it into motion, would also put him in jeopardy, but not as much. At least, she hoped not.

"So far everything is going according to plan." That was Iroh, proving himself to not be the mind-reader some accused him of being. "The Avatar is keeping my brother's attention. I am ready to take his place for the next part."

"No." Surprised, Iroh and the others stared at Katara. "I've changed my mind. It's not fair to risk you and Aang this way. Plus they're expecting another air blast." She sounded calm, not at all as if she were panicking into a change of heart, and Iroh gazed at her through narrowed eyes.

"Hey, is it just me, or is it raining?" Sokka stared upward, wiping a few drops from his cheeks, frowning at the complete lack of clouds overhead.

"There's only one chance, I won't have the energy to do it twice, at least I don't think I will." That was Katara, still sounding preternaturally calm. "I've never tried to control this much water at once. Once the wave hits, you need to rush the airship and get Zuko and any other prisoners free."

"Wave? What wave?" "Hey, this water is salty!"

Iroh and Sokka both spoke at once, then fell silent at Tsing's sudden intake of breath. They turned to follow his gaze, and the silence became deathly as they saw what he was looking at.

The sound of the ocean crashing against the cliff base had been gradually growing louder, more violent, and now they realized that it had nothing to do with the turn of the tides or the steady blowing of the wind. Sokka's eyes widened in awe as he realized it was sea spray that had been splattering him for the past few minutes. Hakoda's gaze was equally awe-stricken, but he was looking at his daughter, not the ocean she was apparently controlling.

"When the wave hits, attack the airship," Katara repeated. Her breathing grew labored, and her hands moved in gentle cupping motions completely at odds with the violence of the results she was achieving. Suddenly the waters receded, drawing back from the cliff base with an audible sucking noise. "It's coming," Katara whispered, her eyes focusing on something no one else could see. Her hands moved together, clasping each other, then suddenly she whipped her arms behind her, where they hovered like wings for a breathless moment before rushing forward again, palms slapping together with a sound like thunder.

No, it wasn't her hands, it was the roar of the ocean as a monstrous wave appeared, larger than any they'd ever seen, and the awe in their eyes turned to terror as it sped toward them, leaping with foam, rushing upward and upward until it lifted the airship completely off its moorings. Startled, Aang darted skyward as the wave crested, driving the airship to the ground where he'd just been standing, a tumble of water and mud and rock racing toward the distant tree-line and finally coming to an almost gentle stop mere yards away from the tents of the bivouacked troops.

Confusion erupted, troops were running everywhere, but Iroh, Hakoda, Sokka, and Admiral Wei were heading for the beached airship, Sokka grabbing Toph's wrist and pulling her along. It lay on its side, a mass of crumpled metal and cloth, but not completely destroyed. Katara watched with satisfaction as Ozai and his two guards stumbled out of the wreckage, dazed expressions on their faces. Only then did she quietly sink to the ground in a dead faint.


	48. Tidal Effects

**oOo**

Zuko regained consciousness to the sounds of shouting and confusion, even panic, coming from many directions, too many for his whirling mind to differentiate. The only voice he clearly recognized was his father's furious bellow. Suddenly, the floor lurched to one side, rolling Zuko rapidly and painfully into the wall. _Airship,_ he thought dizzily. _Must be on the airship._ Or a regular ship; that felt suspiciously like the rolling of an unanticipated wave. _Somebody better get this thing turned or the ocean will do it for him,_ was his next thought.

He was completely unprepared for what happened next. As he struggled to sit up, the floor heaved beneath him, temporarily rendering him airborne, only to painfully slam back against the wall, which with equal suddenness became the floor. Anything in the room not bolted to the deck went crashing around; he was narrowly missed by the room's single chair, only to have an entire cabinet of scrolls and maps upend itself upon his head. He collapsed in a heap, head ringing at the additional pain, but oddly enough, found his thoughts finally clearing.

He struggled once again to right himself as the room finally stopped rolling about; the wall was now permanently the floor, or so he presumed as he managed a sitting position. There was no light, so he risked a small puff of flame, just enough for him to recognize that he was, indeed on the airship. _It's my office,_ he realized as he stared fixedly at the scorched leg of the table bolted a few feet away from his head. He'd made that scar; lost his temper while trying to carve Katara's necklace and taken it out on the defenseless piece of furniture.

The puff of flame blew out, unable to sustain itself with no fuel, but it had lasted long enough for him to realize the precariousness of his current situation. Whatever disaster had befallen the airship, someone would no doubt be along to see to him, to keep him away from his rescuers, if they were the ones who had caused the disaster, or just to make sure their valuable hostage was still alive. He wasn't sure what he could do about his arms, tied behind his back, but he knew he could at least free his legs. Stretching his legs out in front of him, he strained his ankles away from each other as best he could while concentrating on blowing as narrow a flame as he could between his lips. It wouldn't do, after all, to set his trousers on fire.

The tension grew, and he felt sweat beading on his forehead as he blew thready flame after thready flame between his ankles. The rope sizzled, he could smell it burning, then suddenly gave with a loud SNAP! and his feet were free.

Zuko flexed his ankles until the feeling came back, grimacing at the sensation of pins and needles. As soon as he could, he stood up, unsteady but vertical after what felt like half of forever had passed. But it couldn't have been as long as it felt; no one had come to check on him or take him away; his father's men must still be dealing with whatever disaster had struck.

He grinned briefly at the thought. _Aang_, he decided. _He blew the airship over somehow._ Then he pushed the thoughts aside and set to work at moving his hands from behind his back so he could burn off those bonds as well.

Then, it was time for he and his father to have a little chat.

**oOo**

Shouting, confusion, the dawning realization of exactly what Katara had wrought all pushed aside in Sokka's mad dash for the fallen airship. Toph yanked her hand free of his at some point, concentrating on capturing the men that were spilling out of the various holes and now-sideways doorways Katara's wave had opened when it rolled the ship onto dry land and stranded it permanently. _Ah, well, Zuko's probably got a dozen spare flagships back at the capital, _he thought with a grin as he continued running toward the nearest opening.

Jumping over a puddle, yelling madly and waving his boomerang over his head, he felt the rush of adrenaline translate into joy, the joy of having something important to do, feeling once again like the young boy he'd been when he and Katara had found the Avatar. It was his job, and his alone, he knew it, felt it in his bones, to get Zuko out and bring him back in triumph to Katara's side. And also help him improve his carving, that necklace really needed work, big time. Still grinning, still yelling, he dove head-first through the opening he'd aimed at, ready to make his mark on this rebellion and rescue Zuko.

His father nearly tripped over his unconscious form a minute later, when he clambered somewhat more carefully through the same entrance. In his unbridled enthusiasm, Sokka had misjudged the distance and slammed into what had been the floor. Tsking disapprovingly, Hakoda made sure his son was all right, then stepped gingerly over him and continued into the airship. Zuko had to be found and extracted, or else all this would be for naught.

**oOo**

Toph couldn't stop grinning. Now this was what it was all about! She almost casually encased another one of Ozai's rebels in stone up to his waist, reluctantly being careful to leave him enough room to breath while at the same time immobilizing his arms, then found another target and let him have it as well. She felt a light breath of air on her right side, and didn't bother turning her head to greet Aang as he joined her. "Sugar Queen almost smashed you under that airship," she said, a hint of admiration in her voice. "Didn't know she had it in her!"

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly the plan she told us about, but it sure did work. I guess she didn't think I would sound sincere, or would give something away looking for the wave." Aang's voice was more subdued, even disappointed.

"More likely she wasn't sure she could actually pull it off," Toph said with a shrug of her shoulders. Bam! Another soldier captured, but now she had to be more careful; General Tsing's troops were rushing toward the airship and she wouldn't want to encase one of them by accident.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Aang sounded relieved, and Toph felt her heart catch. Even now, he was worried about what Katara thought of him. Even after all this, when it was so clear that her loyalties had shifted…Toph shrugged off the thought. She couldn't afford to lose concentration, not now. "There's another one coming out," Aang announced. "You take him, I'll see if I can help round up anyone coming out through the top." He launched himself into the air without another word.

**oOo**

Ozai ground his teeth furiously. How could he have underestimated an opponent so badly, made such a terrible miscalculation? It was her fault, he decided as he jumped nimbly to the protruding edge of a wing to avoid one of the Earth Bender's stone traps. That bitch had held back her abilities, just to trick him in such a way. But he wouldn't let this stop him, oh no; the Phoenix King never admitted defeat.

And if he was captured once again, so be it, but this time, Zuko wasn't getting away from him.

It was time for his traitorous son to die.


	49. Looking for Love

oOo

Katara rolled over onto her back, groaning softly. She pushed herself up on her elbows, levering herself from there to a sitting position. She brushed absently at the dirt she'd managed to mash into one cheek when she fell. Fainting onto a handy couch looked so graceful when the court ladies saw a spider-wasp climbing up the curtains, but the real thing hurt. Not an experience she was eager to repeat any time soon.

She looked around blearily, trying to force her eyes to focus on the confusion off in the distance. No one had come running to help her, which meant…what, exactly? She managed to get to her knees, ignoring the waves of dizziness that kept trying to flatten her back out. "No time for that," she muttered to herself as she pulled herself back to her feet, swaying slightly as the scene in front of her continued to move in and out of focus.

She blinked hard, running a hand across her face, and suddenly everything was clear. The roar of noise she thought was only in her head turned out to be the cries of battle breaking out everywhere. None of Ozai's men appeared to be willing to surrender, even the ones Toph had imprisoned in cones of earth. The spat fire at any who approached them, and Katara watched as Aang danced nimbly out of one such prisoner's range. She couldn't hear him, but she was sure he was imploring the man to give up, to no avail. Another gout of flame blew out, and Aang appeared to slump in defeat at he nodded at one of her father's men, who promptly hit the prisoner over the head with a belaying pin.

Another whirl of motion caught her attention, this time on top of the collapsed airship. General Tsing was battling a pair of Ozai's men, flames dancing from his fingertips as he deftly maneuvered his opponents closer and closer to the edge nearest the cliff. Almost she shouted a warning, but quickly stuffed her fingers in her mouth and turned away. He was ruthlessly pushing them to their deaths, as was his right, but she still couldn't stand to watch. Instead, she looked for her brother, her father, but neither man was in sight.

Feeling slightly sick, she forced herself to walk closer to the airship. Zuko is still in there, she thought, realizing that it was he she'd been subconsciously searching for. Her steps quickened until she was running, dodging clusters of men fighting with fire and swords, pulling some of the pooled ocean water to her in a sort of cloak to shield herself head to foot from the occasional misfire…and even one or two deliberately aimed attacks.

As she reached the beached airship, a figure emerged carrying someone over one shoulder. She ran even faster, only to come to a gasping halt as she recognized her father as the carrier, and her brother as the carry-ee. Ignoring the surge of disappointment that washed over her, she allowed the water to splash to her feet. "What happened? Is Sokka hurt?" She readied herself for healing, only to stop as her father shook his head.

"He was knocked out, but he should come to any time now. Zuko's not in the airship," he added, anticipating her next question. "We searched everywhere, and there's not a living soul left on board. I found some burned ropes," he added encouragingly. "I believe he freed himself and escaped on his own." He lowered Sokka to the ground with a grunt of effort, then splashed some water on his son's face to try and revive him. Katara raced away, too worried about Zuko to hang around and watch Sokka sputter and protest at his treatment. Their father had things well in hand, but where could Zuko be? She still didn't see him, what she needed was a better perspective. Without slowing down, she gathered more of the excess water to her, this time shaping it into a crude sort of ice ramp for her to follow to what was now the top of the fallen airship.

Aang saw her there; abandoning his latest attempt to reason with one of Ozai's followers, he formed an air ball and floated himself up to her side. "Katara! What are you doing up here?" he demanded with a frown. "You're making yourself a perfect target!" He tugged on her arm, but she shook him off impatiently.

"I can't find Zuko," she said, not even looking at him once she realized who had joined her, too busy scanning the chaos below them, desperately searching for one particular face among the many. "My father said there's no one left inside and he found signs that Zuko freed himself, but I can't find him." There was a hint of panic in her voice, in her widened eyes, in the tension of her stance.

"Then let me fly over and find him," Aang replied, a little more gently. He shook her by the arm to get her attention. "Let me fly," he repeated. "You get back on the ground so every Fire Bender rebel can't see you up here and attack you. You didn't even bring any water with you," he chided her.

"I'll use the ice if I have to," was her absent reply, her attention once again on the figures below them. "You fly, but I'm not leaving until I find him."

Aang shook his head, then nodded in defeat and lofted himself skyward, using some of Katara's ice ramp to form a water shield around himself as he had seen her do. The sooner he found Zuko, the sooner Katara would stop being so…so… "Pig headed!" he muttered as he swooped away.

oOo

Toph lifted herself onto an upthrust of stone as another rebel leveled a fire attack at her, narrowly missing the hem of her tunic. She neatly encased him in stone up to his elbows, ignoring the curses he now sent flaming up at her as she "looked" for another target. This was the most fun she'd had in ages; it was too bad so many people had to get hurt in the process, but that was war for you.

She lowered herself once again to the ground, trying to figure out where Ozai had disappeared to. He'd left the ground, presumably to jump onto the downed airship, and she'd been distracted by rounding up his followers, but there were fewer and fewer of them for her to battle; General Tsing's men and the South Pole warriors seemed to be getting things under control. She sped around the bulk of the airship, shivering in unexpected cold at one point. Reaching out, she felt the ice ramp and grinned. "So I guess Sugar Queen is still in the battle," she muttered to herself. She hesitated; what if Ozai was still on the airship? "Well, if he is, then he's Katara's problem," she decided, and continued on her original course. It would be just like him to try and run off into the forest while his men fought and died to cover his escape.

As she rounded the corner, something dropped from the sky above; she sensed movement a second too late, and was thrown into unconsciousness and borne to the ground.

Ozai snarled in triumph as he hoisted Toph's dead weight over his shoulder. His moment was at hand. Now, all he needed was his son and the Avatar to have all that he wanted. He dashed into the forest, carrying Toph like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, muttering to himself the entire time of vengeance.


	50. Reunions & Less Happy Meetings

**oOo**

There was a sound behind her, a presence, she felt it even before the sound registered. Katara whirled, hands at the ready, a chunk of ice hovering at the right height for her to kick it and send whoever was trying to sneak up on her over the side of the airship. She was seriously annoyed at this point, and happy to have someone to take it out on.

The ice fell back to the airship with a loud THUNK, but she hardly heard it. Her eyes, her ears, her pounding heart, every part of her was focused on the man standing before her.

Zuko.

"Zuko?" she whispered, taking a half-step forward, then stepping back again in disbelief. Surely her eyes were deceiving her, he was some hallucination pulled from her intense need to see exactly him at exactly this moment…

But no. "Katara!" he said, relief in his voice, reflected in his amber eyes. His step forward was far from hesitant, and he caught her in his arms before she could take another step away from him, absently kicking the ice chunk to one side.

"Zuko!" she whispered, clutching him to her in a sudden terror that he would vanish once again. They'd spent so much time looking for each other, it couldn't possibly be this easy to find each other again. Or could it? As his lips sought hers, as they locked in an embrace, she found herself losing that fear, abandoning it to the intensity of relief and bottled up passion and gratitude and a host of other emotions she would have to sort out later.

If there was a later. Suddenly Zuko pulled her away, throwing the two of them back several feet as a fire ball exploded where they had just been standing. Katara, still dazed from the kiss and the sight and feel and, with a wrinkled nose, the smell of him, nevertheless found the ability to strike back at the unfortunate rebel, sending him back over the side and down a slide of ice even as Zuko aimed a fire ball of his own where the man had been. They heard a startled yelp, and both laughed, Katara giggling into her free hand, the other clutching Zuko to her desperately. She wasn't about to let him out of her hold, let alone her sight, for a very long time. Not if she could help it.

She looked up at Zuko. He was here, he was really here…and a battle continued to rage at their feet. "Zuko," she said quietly. "We have to stop this."

"I couldn't agree with you more," he replied. Taking her hand in his, he headed for the air ship's edge, peering down at the chaos below. Isolated swirls continued, but the rebels were clearly outnumbered. His father, of course, was nowhere in sight. Neither were Toph nor Aang, but he didn't have time to worry about them. Not right now. Right now, all he needed to focus on was ending this rebellion, this time for good. He took a deep breath and stepped forward on a column of flame, floating just past the air ship's edge. With a calculating eye on the placement of people below, he shot several explosive blasts from his clenched fists, including a lightning bolt or two just for effect.

That caught the attention of almost everyone below, as they automatically ran for cover, temporarily ending hostilities. Almost immediately everyone's attention was directed skyward; Katara saw quite a few faces, both friends and enemies, gaping up at the Fire Lord, including those still struggling to free themselves from Toph's effective stone cocoons.

Zuko glared down at them. "Everyone cease this ridiculous fighting!" he roared. "Your Fire Lord commands it!"

**oOo**

Aang gracefully ascended to the ground, folding his kite back up and dropping it to the ground as he warily faced Ozai. The former Fire Lord was standing at the forest's edge, and seemed to be waiting for something. For himself, perhaps? Only one way to find out…

"Ozai! Surrender so we can put an end to this needless fighting!" Internally, Aang winced. That was pompous even for the Avatar, but it was also true, so he ignored his inner critic and focused on his outer opponent.

Ozai stepped forward, disdain written on every feature.. "There can only be one outcome of this meeting if you wish your Earth Bender to live," he said, smiling evilly as Aang took an involuntary step toward him, fists clenched. "And I _do_ have her, have no doubts about that."

"Where is she?" Aang demanded. Part of him wanted to rush back to the battle site to make sure Toph was safe, but the rest of him sensed that Ozai wasn't bluffing. He would never expose himself to danger like this, to being taken captive and returned to prison, based on a mere bluff. He was too sure of himself, too arrogant even when the odds were against him, and too damn proud. As far as Aang knew, the bastard had never bluffed in his life.

Ozai shook his head. "Oh, no, we have things to discuss before I give you that information. You, in particular, have a task to perform. And before you demand proof, here is the best I could do without actually removing a body part." Coolly, he held up the green band that held Toph's shaggy brown hair away from her neck. "And if this isn't enough, the body part can easily be arranged for."

Aang shook his head. "What do you want?" he demanded, once again ignoring his body's urge to shake Toph's whereabouts out of the former Fire Lord. "We found her and Katara before, and we'll find her again," he added, trying his own hand at what he prayed wasn't really a bluff.

"Possibly. But I doubt you'll find her in time to save her life. She's been poisoned."

Aang felt all the color drain from his face. "With what?" he asked through suddenly stiff lips.

"The same thing I had my faithless wife poisoned with, of course," Ozai replied. "Arynaesic." His lip curled with disdain. "Do you truly wish to bet her life on your ability to find her without my cooperation?"

"And what, exactly, do I have to do to gain that cooperation?" Aang asked grimly.

Ozai took a step closer, then another, stalking toward the Avatar with an intensity the younger man could almost feel. It took everything he had not to fall back a pace as Ozai approached him, nearer and nearer, until their faces nearly touched. Then Zuko's father leaned to one side, whispering in Aang's ear.

"I want you to restore my Fire Bending."


	51. Blackmail

**oOo**

Iroh looked around approvingly. The fighting, as commanded by his nephew, had, indeed, ceased. Of course, that was as much due to the fact that the remaining rebels were either imprisoned, unconscious, or both as it was due to the Fire Lord's order.

Zuko lowered himself to the ground, and Iroh hurried to his side. "I am pleased to see you unharmed, nephew," he greeted the younger man.

Zuko grinned and pulled his uncle closer for a tight hug. "Thanks for not giving up on me," he replied, half-turning as Katara made her way to the ground next to them, her hand instantly seeking out Zuko's. "Now where is my beloved father?"

Iroh shook his head. "He disappeared shortly after Katara, er, grounded the airship," he replied. "I haven't had time to look for him, but it seems that Hakoda's men and Toph have things well under control." Indeed, the remaining conscious rebels were being systematically knocked out, but the trapped ones were not released, and Iroh quickly realized why; Toph was nowhere in sight. He frowned. Neither was the Avatar.

"Where are Toph and Aang?" Katara asked as she, too, scanned the former battleground. "There's my father and Sokka, and General Tsing…" Her voice trailed off and ended on a slight catch as she realized the grim-faced general was overseeing the laying out of various bodies, some in Fire Nation reds, some in the darker colors his own men had been wearing, and a few in Water Tribe blues. She tore her eyes away. "The last time I saw Aang, he was going to fly over and look for you," she told Zuko, sounding troubled.

As well she might. "Once the prisoners are secure, send the soldiers to round up any stragglers," Zuko told his uncle, squeezing Katara's hand gently. "Katara and I will start searching for my father now."

"I will accompany you," Iroh said firmly. "We have already lost both of you one time too many. Forgive an old man, but I'm not ready to let either of you out of my sight just yet." He smiled, but Zuko knew that tone; his uncle meant it and was not to be dissuaded.

Zuko nodded. "Fine. You!" He called to one of General Tsing's soldiers, who came running, snapping immediately to attention. Zuko gave him the orders he'd just told his uncle, then the three of them headed around the airship. It was the logical direction to search, although Zuko privately held no hopes of finding his renegade parent. "He's pulled more disappearing acts than a stage magician," he muttered, and Katara nodded in silent agreement. A humorous snort from Iroh told them the old man had heard as well.

They barely made their way around the crumpled sides of the airship, however, before Aang appeared. He cradled Toph's obviously unconscious form in his arms, and his eyes lit up with relief when he saw them…relief immediately clouded by something darker, something Katara wasn't sure she could recognize. But all her attention was focused on Toph as she ran up to her friends. "She's been poisoned," Aang reported breathlessly, laying her gently on the ground and kneeling by her side. He looked up at Katara trustingly. "Arynaesic. Can you help her?"

"How long ago was she poisoned? Do you know how large the dose was?" Iroh asked as Katara looked at him helplessly.

Aang shook his head. "I don't know! I mean, not too long, 'cause she was just at the battle and I didn't lose sight of her too long ago, but Ozai didn't exactly wait around to tell me the dosage."

There it was, that look again; Katara realized with a skipping heart that she'd seen it before. _Please_, she prayed, _let me be wrong, don't let it be guilt_… "Aang," she said gently, "what did you do?" _Please say "nothing," please…_

He hung his head in shame. "I gave Ozai back his Fire Bending," he whispered. "It was the only way to save Toph's life. I'm sorry."

"Where is he?" Zuko demanded coldly. There was no time for guilt or shame or even anger. Not if what Aang said was true, both about Toph's poisoning and his father's restored Bending abilities. "Aang!" He raised his voice, commanding everyone's attention, but most essentially that of the Avatar. "Where is my father now?"

Tears glimmered in Aang's eyes, but didn't fall. "That way," he said, pointing toward the forest from which he'd just emerged. "He's waiting for you."

"I'll just bet he is," Zuko said grimly. "Katara, you have to stay and help Toph." Before she could voice the objections she was sure to offer, he kissed her quickly. "Your Blood Bending may be the only thing that saves her life," he said softly, for her ears only. "I don't know if the antidote survived the crash. Someone will have to search the airship while you keep Toph alive. Can I depend on you?"

"Of course, you can," she whispered in reply, sparing a moment to gently lean her forehead against his. "It's just that, we just found you, I'm not ready to let you go again." She leaned back and took a deep breath. "But that's what I'll have to do." She knelt next to her patient, remembering everything the Chief Physician had told her to do to help save Lady Ursa's life. She hoped the shorter period of exposure would help, but wasn't sure; nor was sure if either of the two Junior Physicians who had accompanied the mission were able to deal with the poisoning if the antidote wasn't available. Or if they were even alive; she hadn't done much head-counting beyond Toph and Aang's distinctive forms.

Sometime during her frantic thoughts, Zuko and Iroh had slipped away, leaving her with Toph. Aang hovered anxiously nearby. "Go get the physicians," she ordered. "And someone who's familiar with it has to look for the antidote on the airship." She opted not to share with him Zuko's fears about the status of delicate glass bottles after the ship had been turned on its side. She would deal with that situation—and her own guilt, if need be—at a later time.

Aang nodded and whipped up an air ball, floating away as fast as he could while Katara focused her energy on Bending Toph's blood, slowing it, keeping the poison from completing its mission.

**oOo**

Iroh followed as Zuko plowed grimly through the dense undergrowth, following the faint trail Aang had created carrying Toph back to the plateau. They had a singular purpose, allowing for no other thoughts to intrude; Ozai had to be stopped, once and for all. There was no Avatar to advocate for a peaceful solution, nor was he able to provide one. Especially since he'd gone and done the unthinkable and restored Ozai's Fire Bending.

"Do we have a plan, Nephew?" Iroh essayed after about a quarter-hour had elapsed.

"Kill my father," came the grim reply, and Iroh found himself nodding reluctant agreement. There could be no mercy; it would be a fight to the death this time. The only variable was who would challenge Ozai to single combat, and he firmly intended to be the one to do so. The new Fire Lord had far too much to live for to throw his life away in battle with a madman. Not that Iroh was so eager to die, but at least he would have the satisfaction of knowing that he'd taken his insane brother with him, and spared Katara the anguish of losing Zuko before she could even accept that cursed ring from him.

Of course, Zuko would probably disagree with him as to who exactly should battle Ozai. Iroh spent the remainder of the journey plotting ways to make sure thing worked out the way he wanted them to.

Nearly an hour later, the two men reached a clearing. Standing there, obviously waiting for them, was Ozai. The moment of truth was finally at hand.


	52. Fight Club

**oOo**

Iroh knew exactly what he had to do. Without signaling his decision in any way, he whirled and kicked his unsuspecting nephew in the solar plexus, knocking him off his feet. With a startled "whoosh" of air escaping his lungs, Zuko landed on his back. As he struggled to regain his feet, his uncle, the one man he trusted above all others, knelt down to deliver a punch that sent him reeling into unconsciousness.

As Iroh rose to his feet to face his brother, Ozai laughed. "Well played, Iroh. Well played. Why let a boy do a man's work? You know he could never face me and win."

"I know no such thing," Iroh retorted as he shrugged off his robes. Wearing only his trousers and sandals, he took a fighting stance. "I know only that this is our battle. It has been too long in coming. I stepped aside when I should have known better. You have brought nothing but death and destruction to the Fire Nation. I am here to make sure that your madness never infects our people again."

Ozai smiled sardonically and gave a slow, measured pair of claps as he, too, took a fighting stance. "My 'madness', as you call it, is the only path to greatness for the Fire Nation. Zuko is too weak, too reliant on outsiders, those who are our inferiors."

It was Iroh's turn to crack the slightest of smiles. "Like the Avatar? The one with the power to take and restore the ability to Bend an element? Like, perhaps, fire?"

With a roar of outrage, Ozai attacked. Streams of fire shot from his fists, aiming straight at Iroh and Zuko. Iroh met the blast easily, deflecting it away from his unconscious nephew. _Forgive me,_ he thought fleetingly. _But it had to be this way._ Then he deliberately removed Zuko from his mind, focusing completely on his opponent. "Agni Kai," he said softly.

Ozai nodded. "Agni Kai," he agreed. "Catch me if you can." Springing skyward, he rose onto a column of heat and flame, disappearing over the trees, Iroh swiftly following.

**oOo**

"Zuko! What happened?"

The Fire Lord blinked and rolled onto his side, trying to see who was asking him the question, whose hand had shaken his shoulder. After a second he realized it was Sokka. "I don't know…wait, it was my uncle." His voice rang with disbelief. "He attacked me!"

"Where is he now? Did you find your father?"

Zuko managed to rise to his feet, gratefully accepting the hand Sokka offered to help him up. "Yes." He looked around. "But he's not here now," he added unnecessarily. "Have you seen my uncle?"

Sokka shook his head, glancing over his shoulder for confirmation from the soldiers and sailors who had accompanied him. "You were alone when we got here. We thought you'd been ambushed, but figured they heard us coming and were scared off. But I can't believe Iroh would attack you!"

"I think he was trying to save me," Zuko said slowly. "I don't think he wanted me to fight my father." His shoulders drooped. "I guess he didn't believe I could take him."

"Maybe he just wanted to kick his butt himself," Sokka offered. "He's got as much reason to go after Ozai as any of us. Maybe even more. Well," he added, "not as much as you, probably."

"Shall we go after them, my lord?" one of the soldiers spoke up, brandishing his sword and scowling at the forest around them as if it were responsible for swallowing up the Fire Lord and his renegade parent.

"How?" Zuko snarled, then visibly reined himself in. "How?" he repeated, more quietly. "I assume you've checked for a trail of some kind?" The soldier nodded, abashed. "And found what? Nothing?" The soldier nodded again. "Obviously they didn't just run off into the forest. We need to find some high ground, look for signs of battle. Where's Appa?" he demanded, this time of Sokka.

"Um, they flew Toph back to the palace on him, and Katara too. There was only enough of the antidote to slow the poison, not enough to stop it. But Aang stayed here," Sokka added. "We can have him fly over the island."

"Then let's get it done," Zuko snapped. He pointed at the contingent of Fire Nation soldiers. "You! Into the forest to look for any more of my father's followers. The rest of you, back to the cliff with Sokka and I." He looked and sounded calm, but none of them were fooled; the fury he was feeling might not be showing, but it was there, surrounding them like heat from a bubbling pool of lava.

"I am tired of other people deciding my destiny," he said in a low voice to Sokka as the two of them and the sailors began the journey back at a quick trot.

"Well, if it's any comfort, at least we know this will be over soon," Sokka offered after a moment spent considering and discarding options. Even this one sounded weak, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

"It's been 'almost over' for too bloody long!" Zuko shouted, then once again visibly brought himself under control. Before he could say anything else, a sailor shouted from the rear of the party, bringing them all to a halt.

"Did he say Aang was here?" Sokka asked as Zuko rapidly retraced his steps, not bothering to answer.

**oOo**

Miles away, the sky lit up as fire burst followed fire burst, lightning strike followed lightning strike, and the forest beneath the two men burned. A nearby village lay deserted, the inhabitants fled, buildings smoldering as Ozai led Iroh inexorably northward, not bothering to hunt for uninhabited areas before releasing another deadly volley at his brother, keeping him too far away to close and bring the battle to its conclusion. He'd deliberately fired on the village, knowing that Iroh would take the time to contain the fire and keep it from spreading and destroying the small settlement.

Iroh ground his teeth in frustration. He needed to stop reacting to his brother's attacks and start steering this fight the way he wanted it to go. Instead of chasing after Ozai, he fired a burst of lightning far to the west, then made sure his brother could see him making his way toward a distant mountaintop, one bereft of trees and surely uninhabited. "Your turn to chase me, brother," he murmured to himself, then headed in the direction he'd chosen, knowing full well that Ozai would never abandon this fight, even if he couldn't lead his brother to his own chosen fighting ground.

Once he reached the treeless peak, he landed softly and waited, flexing his hands quietly in anticipation of the battle to come. His brother was obviously trying to wear him out, depending on his own strength and relative youth to give him the upper hand. Iroh smiled grimly. "I am stronger than you believe, Ozai," he murmured to himself. "And now, we will finish this."

Minutes later, the former Fire Lord made his appearance, trekking cautiously up the side of the ash-covered peak. Iroh stepped from behind the giant boulder that masked his appearance. "No more foolishness, brother," he said as Ozai came to a stop. "No more tricks, no more games of cat-and-mouse. This ends. Now." He was completely focused, completely under control. Lightning crackled around his fisted hands.

Ozai spat contemptuously, and the battle began. It would end only when one or the other of them was dead

**oOo**

Aang soared above the forest, scanning the distance for signs of the Fire Bending battle Zuko had assured him was even now taking place. When he'd caught up with Zuko and Sokka, they'd been on the verge of racing back to the camp. Instead, they were headed north at top speed. Iroh and Ozai, wherever they were, had definitely not headed south; flames and lighting had been spotted to the north of Zuko's position, and General Tsing and the men who weren't needed to guard the prisoners were on the march. Hakoda had already hastened back to the Water Tribe ships in order to skirt the coastline, with the Fire Nation navy taking the opposite direction.

Aang spotted more flames in the distance, black smoke and burnt trees, and swooped in for a closer look. It was a village, but whatever calamity had occurred was well under control. He landed and asked one of the tired-looking, ash-covered villagers what had happened; what he heard sent him leaping back into the sky. Instead of rejoining Zuko and the others, however, he lit a flare and threw it far above him, watching as it burst into green light, then headed for the mountain range the villager had pointed him to.

He would light another flare when he reached his destination, then see what he could do to help Iroh.

If, of course, it wasn't already too late.

He sighed with frustration, knowing this was all his own fault, but refusing to regret his decision. Toph was worth saving, even at this price. But he wouldn't let Iroh fight Ozai alone. He owed him that much. He owed all of them that much.


	53. Eve of Destruction

**oOo**

A blast of lightning struck the ground not ten yards from where Aang intended to land, causing him to swerve back up into the sky and reconnoiter a little more carefully when choosing his next landing place. The blue cast to the lightning stroke gave no clue as to the identity of its caster, but the fact that it had come out of the clear blue sky gave him hope that he might do some good yet.

He scanned the ground beneath him, taking care to avoid any suspicious flashes of light or heat. As he passed over a sparse stand of trees, movement caught his eyes, and he veered away just as a gout of flame shot upward. "Avatar!" Ozai's sneering voice rang out. "Our fight is for after I've defeated my foolish brother! Leave now!"

Aang responded not in words, but by soaring upward and heading north of the former Fire Lord's position. He peered groundward even more intently than before, searching methodically for Iroh and finally spotting him behind a huge outcropping of dark gray stone. Aang allowed himself to drop to the ground a few yards away, behind a similar outcropping, not wanting to draw Ozai's fire toward his brother, who was obviously hard-pressed, breathing heavily and showing at least a dozen scorch marks on his torso, as well as a jagged wound dripping blood from his left leg.

In the spirit of unobtrusiveness, Aang elected to burrow a small tunnel under the ground, trusting Iroh to have seen his arrival and not blast the unexpected opening near his feet. When he popped cautiously out of the hole, Iroh was only half paying attention to the new opening. "So, Avatar, you have tracked us down." He sounded exhausted, but retained his usual tranquil tones at the same time.

"General Iroh, please let me help. It's my fault we're in this mess, I let my feelings for Toph get in the way…" Aang paused, blushing, as he realized what he'd just revealed to himself as well as to the older man before him.

"You did what you felt was right," Iroh replied, finally turning to face his nephew's closest adviser with a gentle smile. The smile faded as he added: "And that is what I am doing. Please offer Zuko my apologies for taking matters out of his hands. But this is a battle long coming; I stepped aside once, but never again." He placed a gentle hand on Aang's shoulder. "You must leave. We have declared Agni Kai, and none may interfere." A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Even the Avatar, no matter how guilty he may feel. Please, return to the others so I may finish this."

Aang looked at him for a long moment, a moment during which they both heard Ozai faintly taunting them. "He, too, is taking a moment to restore himself," Iroh murmured. "But he will not wait long before renewing his attacks. And when he does, I must be ready for him."

"I won't leave," Aang finally. "I'll honor your wishes and stay out of it, but I won't leave. Someone needs to bear witness in case anything…in case…" He stumbled to a halt, unable to finish the thought, to say the words, but Iroh nodded his understanding and finished them for him.

"In case my brother wins this battle. I understand. I also charge you to finish it for me, should I fail," he added quietly, keeping his gaze locked with Aang's until the younger man finally nodded reluctant acceptance of that charge. "I know you will do your best not to kill him, and that will be your decision." The smile returned as he clapped Aang heartily on the back. "But then, I do not intend to lose. Farewell."

With that, he leapt to the top of the boulder and blasted a plume of white-hot flames toward the copse of trees from which Ozai had just emerged, shooting his own fires toward his brother at the same time.

Aang hesitated behind the relative safety of the boulder, then a determined look crossed his face as he moved his hands in an Earth-Bending stance. Within moments, the boulder had been almost completely hollowed out; he opened a narrow slit in the front, then settled in to bear witness to Iroh and Ozai's attempts to kill each other.

No matter how painful it might be for him to watch.

He'd given his word.

**oOo**

"Lord Zuko! The flare!" The soldier pointed skyward, and Zuko raced to his side, studying the fading green light intently.

"Northward and slightly to the west," he murmured, then turned back to face the others straggling up the hill behind him. "This way," he shouted, then increased his pace, practically bounding up the hill, Sokka quickly regaining his side.

When they reached the top, the fading flare had been replaced by a second one, further north and slightly less westward. The scout quickly calculated the distance, then joined Zuko in order to report.

Before he could speak, however, the sky lit up with a gout of flame, and the whereabouts of the two combatants was no longer in question. Zuko shot a glance at Sokka who nodded and clapped him on the shoulder, giving tacit agreement for the Fire Lord to soar away, leaving the others to make their way as quickly as possible to the battle zone.

When Zuko arrived at the base of the hill, he waited a moment before picking a more cautious way up the screed-covered slope. Using the occasional boulder as cover, not wanting to distract his uncle at the wrong moment, he made his way upward, until finally he reached the flattened peak of the sleeping volcano.

Chaos met his gaze; flames, lightning, fireballs all careening around seemingly at random, until finally his eyes sorted out the various sights. There was a small stand of trees to his left, most of which was still burning, and more of the oversized boulders scattered around, but not much else in the way of cover. Neither his uncle nor his father were in sight, but he managed to spot their probable location; just over the edge of the next ridge. He avoided the trees and darted toward the nearest large boulder, just in case. Although he was quivering with suppressed rage, he knew better than to just jump into the middle of a battle as intense as this one appeared to be.

As he neared the boulder, it rocked in a peculiar fashion, causing him to skitter to a stop and adopt an aggressive stance. However, he relaxed the slightest bit when Aang's face appeared around one side. "Zuko! They're over that way!" Aang waved one arm in the general direction of the flames, then hurried over to the Fire Lord's side. "Your uncle declared Agni Kai," he added in a subdued tone of voice. "He made me promise not to interfere."

"Well, he didn't make me promise," Zuko snapped, wincing as he rubbed the most recent tender spot on his scalp. "Sokka and some soldiers are behind me. Keep them here until either my uncle or I send the all clear."

Aang grabbed his arm, only letting go after Zuko offered him an angry glare. The Avatar held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, the protests he'd been about to make swallowed as he realized nothing he could say would keep Zuko from this fight, either as witness or participant. "Remember that Katara's waiting for you," he finally whispered.

Those quiet words were the only things that could have stopped Zuko in his tracks, but even then only for a moment. He simply nodded and continued toward the next rise.

Aang watched until he disappeared, not bothering to resume his hollowed-out waiting spot. Summoning a ball of air, he whirled toward the copse of trees, alighting easily on an unburned branch as he scanned the horizon for the others Zuko said would come. Sokka would be the hardest to keep out of the fray, but even he would listen to reason eventually. If not, well, Aang wasn't completely against sitting on him to keep him safe. "If something happens to Zuko, Katara's gonna need all the support she can get," he muttered to himself, then shook his head in anger. Nothing was going to happen to Zuko, not with Iroh there.

He pushed his mind firmly away from such thoughts, only to have it willingly skitter back to worrying about Toph. He'd never seen her look so vulnerable as when he found her where Ozai had left her, skin pale and beaded with a fine mist of sweat, body shivering, panting shallow breaths that it had taken him a heart-stopping moment to even hear…and those lips, the ones that had kissed him with such determined passion, they were almost as pale as her skin, the poison having leached the very color out of her features. Only something like that could lay Toph low, and Aang found he despised Ozai even more than before, something he never would have believed possible.

Toph had kissed him, then been taken from him, restored and stolen again, and he still wasn't sure how to react to that kiss…but he did know he was very interested in testing his reactions once she was fully recovered. If, of course, she was willing to repeat the experiment…

Such thoughts kept him busy as he scanned the hillside for signs of Sokka and the soldiers, so busy that he didn't realize for a long time that the sounds of combat had abruptly gone silent.

Whatever the outcome, it appeared the fight had ended just before Sokka and his men reached Aang's copse of trees.


	54. Anticipation

**The Palace – Two Days Later**

Katara was pacing again. She tried to stop herself, to sit quietly, to practice Bending, anything, but her feet stubbornly moved her back and forth, back and forth, and the rest of her was too overwrought to do more than go where her feet led her.

So many things had happened just in the two days since she'd returned to the palace, and so many things remained unknown. No messenger hawks had arrived to tell whether Zuko had defeated (_killed_, her mind whispered, even as she shied away from that voice) his father, or whether the outcome had been the opposite. Either one she feared; if Zuko had been forced to kill his father, as he'd been forced to kill his sister, who knew what it would do to him. He'd been quiet and withdrawn after the first, obviously fighting guilt at what everyone knew was the inevitable outcome of a showdown with Azula; if forced into killing yet another member of his family, even one as evil and twisted as Ozai, who knew what it would do to Zuko?

Of course, the alternative was…unthinkable. So she refused to think it, even as her feet moved her back and forth along the long battlement she'd unconsciously chosen as her own private fretting spot. Instead, she reviewed the things that had happened since the flight home, a flight Appa was still recovering from. The loyal bison had pushed himself to the limit, dropping in exhaustion into the quiet courtyard that was his palace home and not moving from there to do more than eat and relieve himself since Toph had been rushed to the physicians' quarters for further treatment.

Toph. Toph was okay to think about, Toph recovering enough to start complaining about enforced bed rest and the unseemly cleanliness she'd been subjected to and the blandness of the food. Lady Ursa was safe to think about as well, busy keeping the Fire Nation running as smoothly as possible during Zuko's continued absence. His _temporary_ absence, she angrily reminded herself as her thoughts started running willy-nilly toward the unthinkable again.

Suki was a sort of safe topic; her enforced bed rest was being protested less vehemently than Toph's, but only because she had the baby to fret over. "If you don't want this baby born too early then in bed you'll stay," the midwife had informed her tartly the one time she'd tried to get up and take herself to the bathroom.

Gran-Gran's arrival early yesterday morning had helped settle that matter; one look at her determined face and Suki had subsided meekly back into bed, allowing herself to be fussed over and thus take her mind off the continued absence of her husband and father-in-law.

Katara smiled briefly at the memory; Gran-Gran had bustled in, virtually unannounced, and quickly arranged things to suit herself. Toph was moved to join Suki so the two could keep each other company, she and Lady Ursa had been introduced and immediately sensed in each a kindred spirit, which relieved one worry on Katara's mind.

But only one. There were so many others eager to join it, to take its place, all of which she continued to shove back into the farthest corners of her mind.

"Lady Katara?"

She turned at the sound of that hesitant voice. It was a servant girl, Kimi, bowing and waiting for her to speak.

"Is there news, Kimi? Are they back?" Katara demanded as she gestured impatiently for the girl to raise her head.

She did so, smiling widely. "The fleet has returned. I knew you wanted to be informed immediately, they haven't quite reached the docks yet but I hurried up here as soon as I heard."

Katara's smile was slightly wider than the other girl's, but only slightly. "Thank you!" she shouted over her shoulder as she raced for the closest set of stone steps. Once at the bottom, she slowed to a more decorous pace as she spotted a few huddled knots of courtiers, nodding absently to them as she concentrated on figuring out a way to make it to the docks without someone trying to stop her, "for her own good."

Before it came to that, however, Ty Lee sprang up next to her, seemingly out of nowhere. "Katara! What's up?" she asked with her usual cheerful grin, unmistakable even behind the colorful Kyoshi warrior make-up.

Katara grasped her arm as if it were a lifeline. "Ty Lee!" she hissed between her teeth, dragging the other girl off to one side. "Listen, the fleet's in, can you help me get to the docks without anyone spotting us?"

"Zuko's back!?!" Ty Lee squealed, jumping up and clapping her hands enthusiastically. She immediately smacked her hands over her mouth and looked around guiltily. Fortunately no one had been close enough to overhear her. "Wait, why is it a secret?" she wondered in a whisper.

"Because no one is going to let me go down to the docks by myself," Katara replied impatiently. She shook Ty Lee's arm. "Can you do it? Can you get me there?"

"Sure, I know a few ways to help you slip free from your babysitters," Ty Lee replied, then frowned as she tried to remember half-forgotten paths she, Mai and Azula had once traversed while doing much the same thing themselves. Her frown deepened at the pain the memory brought, but she quickly brushed it away. Mai was free now, although she voluntarily remained the palace until Zuko returned, and Katara was their friend now. A friend who needed help. Ty Lee's face brightened as she remembered one particular secret pathway that led almost exactly where Katara needed to go.

Katara listened intently as Ty Lee spoke, nodding once or twice, then repeating the instructions back to her. "Can you cover for me?" she asked when she'd proven to Ty Lee's satisfaction that she could find her way without getting lost. The other girl nodded, then waved good-bye as Katara pretended to stroll casually back into the palace proper.

Once inside, she raced as decorously as possible for her chambers. Things were so much easier now that she didn't have to worry about bodyguards; Lady Ursa had wisely decided not to insist when she attempted to assign new ones to Katara upon her return with Toph. "I don't want anyone else's death on my conscience," she'd told the older woman with a catch in her throat. "They died because of me."

Once inside her room, she hastily threw off her Water Tribe blues and tore through the clothing in her wardrobe, looking for the reds she sometimes wore during Bending practice, the ones she refused to allow Zulina to toss out. Quickly throwing them on, she tied her hair back in a simple queue, one a peasant or servant might affect, then spared a moment to gaze critically at her reflection. "You'll do," she told herself, then wrapped a simple red scarf around her head and peeked out of her door. No one was in the hall, and she quickly scurried for the Tea Room, praying the entire time that no one would stop to question her. Especially anyone who might recognize her outfit and wonder why she was heading deeper into the palace, rather than out to the courtyard where she usually practiced her Water Bending.

She heaved a sigh of relief as she reached the Tea Room and found it empty. She closed the door and latched it shut, then walked to the ornate buffet that stood against one wall, studying it carefully for the hidden entrance Ty Lee assured her was set into its side. Once she figured out the correct flowers to press and pull, it swung open with a click, revealing a dark opening that led to a small stone staircase. She took one of the decorative candles from the table, lit it, and headed down the stairs, making sure to pull the door shut behind her.

The candle did little more than light the step directly in front of her, but that was all she needed. "I'll have to remember this place the next time it feels too hot in my rooms," she muttered as she enjoyed the cool dampness of the stone that surrounded her.

The candle had almost burnt out by the time she reached the bottom, and she was panting slightly from the effort of constant movement. She estimated it had taken her nearly an hour, but if Ty Lee was right, then she was only minutes from the royal docks. Only minutes away from Zuko.

That thought gave her renewed energy, and she stepped eagerly for the small, square patch of floor at the foot of the stairs. She put the candle on the step behind her then moved the eyehole cover aside so she could peek through.

No one was in immediate sight, and the opening, as promised, was half-hidden by a pile of broken equipment and rope. She slid the door aside and stepped out, breathing the salty air, and headed as quickly as possible for her destination.


	55. On the Waterfront

**oOo**

Zuko was the first one off the ship, followed more slowly by Iroh. He turned to help his uncle make his careful way down the gangplank, when he heard his name being called by the one voice he most longed—and dreaded—to hear.

"Zuko! Oh, you're back! Thank heavens!" Katara threw herself into his arms as Iroh adroitly removed his arm from his nephew's hold and allowed one of the soldiers to help him instead.

"Help my uncle to the Chief Physician's quarters at once," Zuko ordered before finding his lips otherwise occupied.

Kissing Katara. Agni, it felt so good to be doing so. He closed his eyes and savored the moment, pulling Katara closer, feeling her heart pounding in time with his…then he remembered why his heart was pounding, and gently freed himself from her enthusiastic embrace.

"Katara," he said gently, "there's something…"

She laughed. "Me too!" She held out her hand, eyes shining as she gazed up at him. "Yes."

He stared down at her extended fingers, not understanding, his mind too full of battles and their results to process exactly what she was trying to tell him. Comprehension dawned as she wriggled them, and he pulled the ring out of his sash automatically. With it came the necklace he'd started to carve, the leather thong entangled around the ring, and he stared dumbly down at it as if not sure how it had arrived there.

Katara's smile widened. "Is that for me? A betrothal necklace?" She pried it gently out of his fingers and disentangled it from the heavy gold ring. Slipping the family heirloom firmly on her finger, she teased out the knots in the leather thong and turned her back toward Zuko, holding up the ends for him to knot together at the nape of her neck. She pushed her hair aside impatiently, almost twitching with excitement as he fumbled the knot and turned her to face him once again. This was not how he had envisioned things going upon his arrival, and found himself just enough a coward to take advantage of the moment of delay.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled her head against his collar bone. Lifting the necklace in one slender hand, she glanced at the three symbols etched into the polished wood with a critical eye. "Hmm, Sokka must have helped you with these, didn't he?" she asked, looking upward. "Oh, and Toph is fine, and Suki…"

Her voice trailed off and the teasing glint in her eyes died as she finally saw Zuko's face. The expression on his face. The sorrow.

Something told Katara she didn't want to know what that sorrow was for. "Your father's dead," she said quietly.

It wasn't a question, but Zuko nodded anyway. "He and my Uncle battled. That's how he was wounded." He jerked his head in the direction of the older man, still walking slowly along the dock to a waiting carriage, waving impatiently when a stretcher was offered.

Katara felt a flash of relief at his words, but it quickly died as she realized that Ozai's death didn't explain the pain she saw in Zuko's eyes. "Is it bad?" She swiveled her head to look after Iroh as he limped away. "He's walking, I didn't think…"

"He'll be fine," Zuko assured her. She looked up at him, so trusting, eyes full of loving concern, and he couldn't bear it. He wrenched his gaze away, took her hands in his and spoke as if to the ship floating at dock behind them. "We thought he was dead, we thought it was over, I mean, he was dying and we should have realized, we should have…" He stopped, turning his gaze back to meet hers. "I should have stopped him," he corrected himself quietly. "Katara, I'm so sorry, I let everyone come closer when I should have made sure he was really dead, but they did, and now…"

"What happened?" Katara asked tightly, backing away a step, head already shaking in denial. "Please tell me Aang is all right, please, don't tell me he's dead…"

"No, Aang is fine, it isn't him. Katara, it's your –"

Before Zuko could finish, Aang appeared at the top of the gangplank, one hand resting on a blue-wrapped figure being carried on a stretcher by two somber-faced Water Tribe sailors. _A shroud, it's a shroud,_ Katara thought numbly as she watched them come to a stop when they saw her. The head was covered, and Katara felt as if her own head were wrapped as tightly in a gauze that allowed her to see but not hear, or feel. A coldness swept over her, a buzzing sound filled her ears and a golden haze threatened her vision as she threw herself up the gangplank, silent tears flowing down her cheeks, head shaking "no" over and over again even as she reached the top and gently lifted the cloth from the covered head.

His eyes were closed. If not for the burns on his lower face, she'd think he was only sleeping. But he wasn't.

Sokka, her brother, was dead.

For the second time in her life, she dropped to the ground in a dead faint.

**oOo**

Aang reached for Katara as she slid bonelessly to the deck, catching her by the collar before her head thunked onto the hard wood. Zuko was at her side in an instant, scooping her up in his arms and bounding down the gangplank toward the carriage his uncle had just heaved himself into. Iroh moved aside without a word as Zuko gently placed Katara next to him, and he nestled her head against his chest as he gazed at his nephew.

"I'll meet you at the palace." Zuko's eyes shifted downward, then back up to meet those of his uncle. "Please, take care of her while I…take care of him." He bowed his head and closed the carriage door as his uncle nodded his assent, shifting Katara carefully into a more comfortable position against his chest.

Aang and the two pall bearers had reached the foot of the gangplank, where they waited for Zuko to rejoin them. Zuko, and one other.

Aang shifted his attention three ways: Zuko, carefully lifting Katara into the carriage; Sokka, resting quietly, his jokes forever silenced; and the top of the gangplank. Hakoda had barricaded himself in his cabin with his son's body for the entire journey home, emerging only when Aang tapped gently at his door to tell him they had arrived. Only then did the door open, and Aang was stunned by the change Sokka's death had wrought on his father in only two short days. There was more grey in his hair, the face seemed to have grown deeper lines, Hakoda's eyes were sunken, and he had spoken not a word as he stepped aside to allow Aang entrance.

The body lay stretched out on Hakoda's bunk, carefully wrapped in Water Tribe blue. Hakoda's dress uniform, Aang thought numbly as he stared at the mortal remains of one of his closest friends.

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it quickly after sneaking another look at Hakoda's face. The man wasn't ready to hear anything, not platitudes, not Avatar-ish wisdom, not sympathy, not anything. He simply watched as Aang closed his mouth, opening it again after a moment to say the second thing he'd come to tell Hakoda. "When we dock, Zuko wants to take him to the palace for the funeral. If that's all right with you. A Water Tribe funeral," he added, in case Hakoda thought Zuko was trying to usurp his place in all this.

The older man nodded, wearily, as if his head might fall off his neck if he moved to abruptly, then settled himself into the nearest chair in an attitude of waiting. Aang backed out of the room and quickly rounded up two Water Tribe sailors to help bring Sokka's body above-decks.

Sokka's body. He swallowed convulsively as he gazed down at the shrouded form once again. Sokka's body. How could it have happened, how could such a happy-go-lucky person become so still, so silent? What he wouldn't give for one lousy pun right now.

Aang knuckled a tear from the corner of his eye as Hakoda's gaunt form finally appeared at the head of the gangplank and stood there as if the long walk to solid ground might be too much for him. The captain and first mate hovered just behind their chief, but he shrugged them off and made his way, slowly and with much dignity, to join Aang and the sailors bearing Sokka's shrouded form. He spared a moment to squeeze Aang's shoulder, then gently shouldered aside the closest sailor. "I'll bring my son home," was all he said, and the other man bowed and moved respectfully out of the way.

Zuko hurried back from his mission to the carriage, even as it departed for the castle. At the same time a second vehicle appeared, one with a large open space in the back and an enclosed cab for passengers. _Just the right size_, Aang thought as the tears finally beat their way past his attempt at Avatar-like stoicism and streamed down his cheeks. Just the right size to hold his friend as he was returned to his pregnant wife.

"Toph is recovering," Zuko reported quietly. "If you want to fly ahead to the palace to see her…"

Aang shook his head. So Zuko had figured things out, that Aang's tangled feelings for Toph had started to change. No matter. Now wasn't the time, he didn't want to abandon Sokka, not now. "I'll ride with you," was all he said, and was warmed by the sad smile Zuko managed to muster up as Hakoda and the remaining sailor raised the board holding Sokka's body to shoulder level and slid it gently into place on the back of the wagon. Hakoda clambered up beside it, resting one hand over his son's no longer beating heart, and Zuko and Aang climbed into the enclosed cab next to the driver. He moved off at a stately pace appropriate for mourning.

Aang stared out the window the entire ride, while Zuko sat ramrod straight beside him, eyes resolutely forward, although Aang suspected he saw as much of the passing scenery as he himself was seeing: absolutely nothing. Only a slender form wreathed in blue silk.

It was a long ride back to the palace.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_A/N: OK, everyone. I didn't kill Zuko and I didn't kill Iroh. Man this was a tough chapter to write, but it would have felt very wrong if everyone (except Ozai, of course) escaped unscathed. It would have felt like cheating. _


	56. Grief Stricken

**oOo**

Katara's eyes opened, and she blinked, not sure where she was or why she was waking up with such a pounding headache. Was she sick? And who was crying, she could hear a woman weeping as clearly as if she were in the same room.

Wait, was she even in a room? No, she was in a hallway, being carried by someone, she felt the movement, the arms securely beneath her shoulders and knees, her head resting on someone's chest, the movement steady, almost comforting…but why did she need comfort, why did she cling to that impression? Why…

It all came back to her, and she struggled to free herself from whoever was carrying her. "Put me down," she ordered, her voice hoarse, her throat clogged with unshed tears. _Sokka, Sokka,_ she thought as the tears threatened to overwhelm her, and her struggles increased. "I said, PUT ME DOWN!" she shouted angrily.

She was abruptly lowered to her feet, still not knowing who had been carrying her, not bothering to see, running down the hall to door behind which those heart-wrenching sobs were issuing.

She pulled the door open without knocking, and saw who she expected to see: Suki, crumpled in a heap on her bed, with Toph sitting helplessly next to her, raising her blind eyes toward the door. "Who is it?" she demanded with some of her usual imperiousness, but not much, and there were tracks of tears on her own cheeks.

"It's me, Katara," the Water Tribe girl said softly as she ran closer to the bed and sat down on Suki's other side. She raised a hand to her sister-in-law's back, stroking it gently. "Suki, it's me," she whispered brokenly. "Can you hear me?"

Suki looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, nose running, uncaring if anyone saw the depths of her grief. "Oh, Katara, he'll never get to meet his d-daughter," she sobbed, throwing herself into her friend's arms. Katara held her close, wondering distantly why her own eyes remained dry, in spite of the knot in her throat that told her how close tears were to freeing themselves.

Sometime during the next few hours, hours spent holding the heartbroken Suki in her arms while her own eyes remained dry, Katara realized Toph had slipped away. She looked around the room, but the door was open and the other bed was unoccupied and she didn't have the strength to spare to worry about where Toph had gone, only a vague feeling of sorrow that she hadn't been able to be the one to tell them what had happened. She'd fainted like a silly girl, forcing someone else to bear the sad news—Zuko, most likely. He was like that, he'd take responsibility, or perhaps her father had been the one. Who knew. All she did know was that she'd failed in her duty to her brother and his wife and their unborn child.

Idly, she stroked Suki's hair. Her battered red silks were water-soaked, completely ruined, and it occurred to her that finally Zulina would be able to dispense of what she disdainfully referred to as Katara's "rags". A giggle forced its way past her lips, quickly stifled, fortunately unheard by Suki over her own sorrowful tears. But the giggle wouldn't go away, and in a moment burst forth, followed rapidly by her own tears.

Conversely, this had the effect, finally, of bringing Suki somewhat out of her own grief. She raised her head and gazed at Katara wonderingly, touching gentle fingers to the tears that rained silently down the other woman's face, her own choked sobs finally dying as she was confronted with her sister-in-law's own breakdown. Now it was her turn to comfort, to make soothing noises as Katara rocked in her arms, whispering brokenly: "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Suki, I'm so sorry," over and over again.

**oOo**

Kanna hurried down the hall, slowing as she reached Suki's room. She knocked gently, then pushed the door open. She stepped into the room, taking in Toph's absence, and the fact that Suki and Katara lay entangled together, apparently sleeping. Judging by the swollen redness around their eyes, the first storm of grief had finally worn them out, and she stepped softly back into the hall, pulling the door quietly shut behind her. Better to let them rest; soon enough memory would invade their dreams and awaken them to the nightmare of Sokka's death.

She still couldn't believe it; not Sokka, so full of life and love, so happily anticipating fatherhood, taken down by the vile final act of a madman who had already taken so much from them. She felt a flash of hatred for Zuko, quickly tamped down, recognizing in herself the need to lash out, to blame someone, in Ozai's absence. Zuko had proven himself a good and loyal friend over and over, his earlier enmity notwithstanding, a true ruler, one determined to heal the wounds his Nation had caused for over 100 years, and she felt the hatred dissolve as she reminded herself of these things.

It had taken her hours to make her way to Suki's bedside after Zuko had delivered the news, hours spent coaxing Hakoda into leaving his son's side, to allow her to prepare the body as best she could in this hot, foreign clime. Katara would have to be made to Bend some ice to encase his form before it was sent into the Mother Ocean for whatever final resting place the currents and tides determined, or to keep it preserved for a true burial back at the South Pole, if that was what Suki desired. As Sokka's wife, she could even demand he be given a Kyoshi Island burial, but Kanna suspected the young widow would wish to honor the customs of her husband's people in this matter.

It would wait. It would all wait, and Kanna bowed her head to allow a few tears of her own to escape. They traveled down well-worn tracks in her cheeks, then were wiped away briskly as she made her way back to her own quarters, the lavish guest rooms assigned to her for this, her first visit to the Fire Nation palace.

She'd come for a wedding, and now would be staying for a funeral.

**oOo**

Iroh winced as Chief Physician Urdai probed at the burns on his back, then returned to stoic silence as the doctor applied a soothing ointment to the injuries. His leg had already been skillfully stitched, the scar, he'd been assured, would be almost invisible once it had fully healed, but he had little time for such assurances. He lay on his stomach, arms crossed beneath his chin, and contemplated the wall facing him, not seeing any of the delicate watercolors placed there.

A figure bundled in blue silks. A smiling, cheerful troublemaking Water Tribe boy who had grown into a warrior, a husband, a skilled strategist, a father-to-be…and all for nothing. All so that Ozai, who Iroh should have taken down in his youth, could raise his hand for one last, agonizing act, grinning like a madman as the flames shot from his fingers, headed straight to Iroh's own head…

He closed his eyes at the memory. Sokka had seen the movement, Sokka had reacted, and now he was dead, saving Iroh's own worthless life, leaving behind a debt that could never be repaid.

He contemplated this stain on his honor, this failure on his part, brooding over how he could have prevented it, the scene playing out in front of his mind's eye over and over again: Ozai, lying still and seemingly lifeless on the ground, brought down by a lightning blast directly over his heart, the black mark seeming to illuminate the blackness within. Zuko, calling his name, Sokka coming closer to peer down at the body at Iroh turned away. Then the sound of his name, called out in panic, time enough for him only to whip his head to see what brought such urgency to Sokka's voice. The feel of the younger man pushing him aside, shouldering him to the ground, the sensation of heat, a strangled cry of pain, Zuko screaming in anger, then…silence. Coolness. The rocky ground beneath him, as he pushed himself back to a sitting position, finding Sokka's silent body next to him, features still twisted in a combination of pain and astonishment. Burns on his throat, his lower face, his chest. He continued to watch silently as Zuko ran to his friends' side. Ozai's body was still burning; everyone within reach had sent forth blasts of flame to finally end his life, but too late, too late, Sokka was taken from them.

Iroh bowed his head and prayed for forgiveness that no one else asked of him, and for the life of a young man who had given himself to save a worthless old fool who should have been able to prevent that death.

**oOo**

Hakoda sat, empty eyed, keeping vigil over his son's body. He'd reentered the small, cool underground room as soon as Kanna left, ignoring her gentle remonstrations to get some rest, to eat, all the things he knew in his mind he should do, but his heart refused him the solace of such things.

He remembered how angry Katara had been with him when he rejoined his children on the eve of battle, before Sozin's comet. It seemed so long ago; they'd all made peace with each other, had been happy in each other's company, but Hakoda knew that his time as a true parent was long gone, that his children were, if not grown, then at least grown too independent for him to impose any but the mildest of restrictions upon them, and that only when they consented to reside at the South Pole. Which had grown less and less frequent, especially once Sokka and Suki married…

His thoughts stumbled to a halt there, refusing to go further. If he stayed there, contemplating that happy day, then Sokka didn't have to be dead, he didn't have to berate himself for once again failing to be there for one of his children. He still hadn't seen Katara, wasn't ready to see the anger and accusation in her eyes when she did finally confront him, make her demands as to why he hadn't been with Sokka, why he hadn't saved him, all the things he asked himself over and over again.

But the illusion could only hold for so long, else it stray into madness. His hand reached up and gently pulled the shroud aside, fingers idly stroking his son's black hair, carefully arranged in a formal queue, although he hadn't worn it that way in years. Kanna had done an admirable job, preparing him for his final journey.

"Kya," he said softly, startling himself as he said his dead wife's name. "Kya, I've failed them so many times, just as I failed you. I know you'll take care of our son, make him welcome, but please, let him know he's missed just as much as you are."

He fell silent, fingers still moving, eyes staring resolutely ahead. He would sit vigil with his son until a final decision was made by Suki.

Then, perhaps, he could face his living child, and the wrath she would be justified in heaping upon his head.

**oOo**

Toph padded along the silent, empty corridor, feet heading unerringly for the door to Aang's quarters. She knocked upon the heavily carved wood, waited a moment, then knocked again, this time louder, and added her voice as well. "Aang? You in there?"

Silence greeted her; undeterred, she pushed the heavy door open and stepped into the room. Tile was earth in another form, and she'd long ago learned to read it, especially in the palace where she seemed to spend a great deal of her time. But the room was empty, and so she turned her steps to the second place Aang might be hiding out, in Aapa's courtyard.

It was there she found him, sitting quietly next to the great bison's side. She made her way there, grunting slightly as she slid to her bottom next to Aang. Without speaking, she reached for his hand and held it in hers. After a moment, he squeezed her fingers and gently disentangled himself from her grip.

"This is all my fault," he said after another long, silent moment. For once, Toph understood the value of silence, of letting someone else have the first say. "If I hadn't restored Ozai's Fire Bending, none of this would have happened." She felt him turn his head toward her. "But I had to save you."

"Which makes it just as much my fault as it yours," she pointed out. "I should have known better than to go chasing off after Ozai and getting myself caught again. But no, I'm a Master Earth Bender, I'm Toph the Unstoppable and blam! I was stopped, I let myself be used, and Sokka died because of that." The words were bitter, angry, but the anger and bitterness were entirely self-directed.

Aang reached out a cautious arm and laid it across her shoulders. Toph was crying, he realized with a feeling of wonder; Toph never cried. _And I did this to her, I made her cry, I made her feel guilty. Great. Chalk up another one to the Avatar._ Toph allowed her head to rest against his shoulder, and Aang couldn't help but notice how comfortable she felt in his arms. A flare of anger flushed his face; how could he be thinking about such things, now of all times? But the anger died quickly, borne away on the waves of his own grief, and he said nothing, just held Toph awkwardly in his arms and fretted over the choices he'd made that led them all to this moment.

**oOo**

Zuko sat at the ornate desk in his office, busily writing out instructions and notifications for the disposal of his father's burnt corpse, for the detainment of the remaining rebels, for a thousand and one things he'd rather not be doing, all to delay the things he needed to do and didn't want to face.

He'd gone to see Katara, only to run into her grandmother, who counseled patience. "She's with Suki, they're sleeping, exhausted themselves, the poor things," she'd told him. "Give them some time to rest."

He'd nodded, then came here instead, to bury himself in work. He winced at the word his mind chose, abruptly standing and pacing in front of the desk.

Bury. Sokka would be buried at sea, Kanna had been quite firm on that. Unless, of course, Suki said otherwise, when she was in a fit state to make decisions. Fire Nation ceremonies weren't even to be considered, Zuko knew that, but he couldn't help thinking how much quicker it would be if they just built an elaborate funeral pyre and allowed his body to become smoke and ash, rather than drifting aimlessly about the ocean on ice that Katara would have to generate.

He shuddered to think of asking her to perform that task, but ask her he would. And at that point, he fully expected her to give back the ring and sorry excuse for a necklace he'd tried to carve for her and tell him she had no intention of marrying the man who allowed her brother to die through sheer carelessness.

"I should have made sure," he said aloud. "I should never have allowed Uncle to accompany me, I should never have given the all clear without blasting my father into ashes and dust. Then I should have just left the body there to rot." But he hadn't, he'd ordered two of his men to convey Ozai's remains back to the ships, although without the sense of palpable grief the sailors bearing Sokka's body wore, without the gentleness and respect the Water Tribe youth had earned and well deserved.

Katara would have to be faced, sooner rather than later; he squared his shoulders and walked out of the room with as much dignity as he could muster, knowing that it wouldn't do for the Fire Lord to be seen tearing down the corridors with tears streaming down his cheeks, tears he still hadn't allowed himself to cry. _No, dignity must be maintained,_ he thought bitterly as he closed the doors behind him and ordered his guards to remain at their posts.

Knowing that he could be facing the death of his dearest dreams, he walked on, stopping only once he reached Suki's door.

Whether she wanted him or not, whether she threw him out and told him she hated him, he had to see Katara.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_A/N: I knew I'd get a lot of grief for killing Sokka, but I stand by it, difficult as the last two chapters have been to write. Believe it or not, I really like Sokka. But I never see him killed: Aang, Katara, Zuko, Toph, all seem to get killed off with a great deal of regularity, and so it seems to be the impact can be lessened after a while. Not to say that I just killed Sokka for shock value; like I said, it took a great deal of thought and fretting before I reached that decision. That having been said, I want to promise right now that the story will not end on this gloomy note; brighter days are still ahead, although there may have to be a bit of a time skip to reach that point, unless I want to turn this into the neverending story. Thank you for reading and sticking with me even through the hard parts._


	57. That's The Spirit

**Elsewhere**

_Sokka opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did. Either way, he was suddenly able to see when all had been darkness before. Not that there was much to see; he squinted around, looking for some object in the bright obscurity before him, but seeing nothing. Nothing but what looked like billows of cloud backlit from some unknown source. Not very helpful. "Hello?" he called out tentatively. "Anyone there? Here? Wherever this is?"_

_"Sokka." He turned at the sound of his name, his heart swelling with joy as he realized it was his mother who'd spoken his name in such loving tones._

_"Mom!" he yelped, rushing toward her for an embrace, then skidding to a halt and backing up a step as he realized what seeing her must mean. "Oh, man, don't tell me I'm…"_

_"Dead? Yes, I'm afraid you are," Kya replied with a sad smile. She reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "You died saving Zuko's Uncle Iroh from Lord Ozai. A noble death, I'm so proud of you."_

_"Wow, that really sucks," Sokka said, then looked abashed as his mother raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, Mom, that was rude. But being dead, it does kinda stink, even if I did die a hero." His face fell as he remembered who exactly he was leaving behind. "Aww, Suki, I'm sorry I went and got myself killed before you had the baby," he said softly, bowing his head._

_His mother offered a sympathetic hug as she heard the sorrow in his voice. "I'm sorry she can't see how proud you would have been of your son," she said quietly._

_Sokka's eyes lit up as he raised his head and stared at his mother. "A son? Suki was positive it was a girl, she didn't want me to know but I heard her calling the bump 'her' a couple of times when she didn't think I could hear her. But it's a boy? Really? You're sure?"_

_His mother nodded with a joyful laugh. "Of course I am, Sokka, and you will be, too, once you've finished passing over with me."_

_Sokka looked around with a hint of relief. "Oh, you mean this isn't it, the whole afterlife? I mean, not that I have a problem if it was, you know, just you and me hanging out here in all this…um, cloudiness and everything, but I was thinking it must have been awfully boring for you, waiting for company all this time." He smiled wistfully. "I really missed you. We all did, Gran-Gran, Dad, Katara…oh, man, Katara! She's gonna be so mad at me!"_

_"Don't worry," Kya reassured him, a smile tugging at the edges of her lips. Sokka was as he had ever been; she'd witnessed his life but being with him again was very different than simply observing. "Katara will grieve, but it will pass, and there's so much happiness ahead for her, you'll be happy as well."_

_"Yeah?" Sokka perked up at his mother's words. "So you like, know the future and stuff, too, here? There?" He waved an arm vaguely. "Wherever it is we're going next?"_

_Kya nodded. "I do. It's how I knew to be here to greet you, to help you with the last part, saying your final good-byes to your mortal self."_

_"Saying goodbye? Like I'm not fully dead yet?, I don't suppose that means I have the chance to go back, does it?"_

_Kya shook her head gently, grieving for the hopeful eagerness of his voice. "No, I'm afraid not. You're dead, my darling boy, just as I am. But death is such a shock that the spirit needs time to recover, to fully understand what's happened and come to terms with its new form of existence. We're fully in the Spirit Realm, just not at its deepest and most sacred levels. But we will be, as soon as you're ready."_

_"Then, what, we just hang around there until it's time for Dad or Katara or whoever to come here next?"_

_"Well, we won't exactly be 'hanging around,' as you put it," Kya corrected him mildly. "When you're ready, I'll lead you to your next sphere of existence. After that, well, many things will become clear, and you will understand exactly what options are open to you."_

_Sokka glanced around the swirls of glowing gray clouds, then up at his mother. He shrugged. "OK, so I'm dead. It really sucks, sorry for the language, but if 'passing on' means I get to see how Suki and my son are doing and how they'll end up, then I'd rather not wait around here any longer. Unless there's some kind of time limit? No crossing until you've spent a week or a month?" His face clearly expressed his hope that this wasn't so, and his mother was happy to reassure him on that matter._

_"No, you alone are the one to judge your own readiness. And time passes much differently here, that's one thing you'll have to get used to. By any standards, it won't seem to take very long. Especially, I think, for you," she added with some bemusement. She'd honestly expected a little more chest-beating and teeth-gnashing from her emotional offspring; a spirit's reaction upon reaching this resting area of the Spirit Realm was never predictable, she should have remembered that._

_"So, let's get going then." Sokka smacked his hands together, then glanced down as if surprised to see he still had some semblance of his usual physical form. Minus the burns he knew he must have suffered being blasted by that back-stabbing, sorry excuse for a former Fire Lord… "Say, we're not going to run into Zuko's crazy dad and sister here, are we?"_

_Kya's face flashed with momentary satisfaction as she shook her head. "No. They do not tread the same paths we do."_

_Sokka grinned. "Good. So now what?"_

_His mother took his hand. Ahead of them, a light even brighter than that surrounding them had appeared. "It appears your words are to be taken at face value, Sokka," she said, gesturing toward the luminous opening in the clouds. "Your spirit is, indeed, ready. Shall we go?"_

_Sokka grinned at her. "You bet! Just lead the way!"_

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A/N: I was gonna leave this for the end of the story, but since I don't know how long that's going to be now, and since everyone was so upset about Sokka's untimely demise, I thought I'd offer a little comfort. Sorry about the punny title, but I couldn't resist. :)


	58. Casting Blame

**oOo**

Zuko paused only to square his shoulders, then knocked once, firmly, before pushing the door open. Technically, as Fire Lord he could enter any room in the palace unannounced, but in practice he rarely did so, especially when it concerned private rooms like the one Suki currently occupied. Suki the widow.

Suki the widow appeared to be sleeping, her head resting on Katara's lap.

Katara. The one he most wanted to see, and most dreaded seeing. As she gazed at him through reddened eyes, he wondered how she would greet him. With hatred? Would she return his ring and sorry excuse for a necklace? More tears? Something worse?

The moment stretched, the two of them staring at each other, Zuko in sorrow and fear, Katara blankly, until the Fire Lord opened his mouth just to kill the deadly silence with empty words, apologies that could never make things right again, but Katara spoke first, stopping him before he could start.

"I need to attend to the body." She slipped out from under Suki, gently laying the other girl's head on the soft coverlet. She slept on, obviously exhausted, and Katara's hand hovered over the mound of her belly before pulling away.

Zuko followed silently, accompanying Katara for what he knew would be as painful a task as any she'd performed. Sokka's inert form would be encased in ice, to preserve it for the funeral ceremony, whether performed here or back in the South Polar region. If Katara left, if the family decided to perform the rituals of death back home, he didn't know if she'd ever return, or if she'd allow him to attend in either case. The term "in an agony of doubt" had never been more obvious to the young Fire Lord.

He studied Katara's stiff back as he trailed her down the long, echoing corridors, each ignoring anyone they passed, few figures though those were, all in the somber mourning colors dictated by the death of one of the Fire Lord's inner circle, as he was himself. Muted golds, blood-dark reds, streamers of black all flowed by Zuko's unseeing eyes. Katara was still wearing the colorful clothes she'd chosen to greet him in, but she'd undone her hair, and it hung in a dark, heavy blanket over her shoulders, well past her waist. She'd stripped herself of jewelry as well, or else never been wearing any; her wrists were bare. Only his ring and the betrothal necklace he'd carved adorned her figure, and that, he surmised, only because she'd either forgotten them or wasn't sure if she wanted to throw them in his face.

Zuko buried a groan as they continued down to the cool-room where Sokka's body rested, a parade of two, and kept his doubts to himself. He would wait for Katara to say something to him, let her be the one to pull down the wall of silence that was growing between them.

Of course, he broke that vow as they finally reached the heavy wooden door guarding Sokka's mortal remains, almost as literally as the two Water Tribe sailors who stood stiffly and silently on either side of that massive portal. Zuko slipped between Katara and her destination, stopping her with his body. She looked at him impassively as he held up a pleading hand. "Wait, Katara, are you sure you're ready for this?"

She nodded, then waited patiently until he moved out of her way. He opened the door for her, following her into the chilled room, stopping only once he was in far enough to shut the door behind them.

They were alone with Sokka. Katara walked with measured pace to her brother's side, looking down at his blue-shrouded form for a long moment before reaching over and gently uncovering his face. She allowed her fingertips to brush his cheeks, to settle lightly on his closed eyes, then stepped back, raising her hands. The large urns of water lining the room suddenly rocked with motion as she coaxed their contents out, water splashing and tumbling around them in a sinuous dance that ended as Sokka's body was enveloped, first in water, then almost immediately in the ice Katara transformed the moisture into.

Ice glittered in a translucent sheet, revealing Sokka's form so clearly Zuko could almost count his eyelashes. More ice glistened along the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor surrounding the simple stone bier that Sokka lay upon, stopping only inches away from Katara's sandal-shod feet. "It's done," she announced, dry-eyed, no trace of emotion on either her face or in her voice.

Zuko dared another step into the room, then another, until he reached her side. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on her shoulder. Instead of shrugging it off or just ignoring him, instead of continuing on as if she, too, had been encased in ice, she threw herself into his arms, burying her head in his chest as a new spate of sobbing wracked her frame.

Zuko enfolded her in his embrace, leaning his head against hers and allowing, for the first time, his own tears to fall. The Fire Lord wasn't to be seen weeping like a common peasant, not in front of anyone. Anyone, that is, but Katara. She would never think him weak, or despise him for showing such emotion, especially not tears shed for her brother. How could he ever have doubted her?

"Zuko, he's gone," she said after a long, long time, finally looking up at him. Looking lost, and terribly, terribly young. "How can he be gone?"

"Because I didn't pay close enough attention to my father, because I believed it was safe," Zuko blurted. "Katara, this is all my fault…"

She was shaking her head, clutching him closer. "No," she breathed into his ear. His arms tightened around her as he closed his eyes and leaned his face against her dark mane of hair once again. "No, this isn't your fault. Sokka knew how dangerous your father was." He felt a shudder cross her frame, then heard a slight hiccup as she choked back further tears and pulled away from him. Not much, not fully, just enough to look up at him once again. "Tell me how he died," she said in a steady voice.

And he did. When he fell silent, she looked down at her hands as they clasped his, then nodded.

"It's not your fault, Zuko, and it's not Uncle's fault, either," she finally said. "Neither of you did anything wrong. Sokka died saving him, he died for a reason." Her voice and eyes went flat, cold, and Zuko felt a shiver try to work its way down his spine as she slowly looked up at him. "This is all Aang's fault, for not killing your father when he had the chance two years ago."

This time Zuko didn't bother to suppress the shiver as he studied his beloved's chill blue eyes. "Katara," he started to say, but she stopped him, stepping back and distancing herself from whatever he was about to say.

"Don't," she said, in that same, flat tone. "Zuko, don't apologize for him. You know it's true. I don't want him at the funeral, and I don't want him at our wedding, after the mourning period is over." She stepped around his shocked form, heading for the door, throwing one last threat over her shoulder. "You can tell him that, and you can tell him I don't want to see him, ever again."

Then she was gone, leaving Zuko to wonder how the hell he was going to fix this situation.


	59. In Memorium

**One Week Later**

Suki remembered Sokka's proposal as if it were yesterday. As if it were today. As if he were just now fumbling at the pouch at his waist, pulling a delicate golden chain with two small, carved ivory tokens from the pouch's mouth and holding it up to her with a shy smile.

Suki remembered…

_"Sokka? What is this?" But she suspected, oh, she suspected, else her heart wouldn't suddenly have started pounding so strongly in her chest. She reached out, caressing the small tiles with a fingertip, then allowing him to place the entire necklace in her outstretched hand, folding her fingers over it and his own over hers._

_"It's a betrothal necklace," he said, gazing straight into her suddenly moist eyes. She blinked the tears away rapidly; she was a Kyoshi warrior, not some silly village girl about to receive her first kiss._

_"So, I guess this means you're serious about the whole getting married thing," she managed to toss out with an attempt at being casual. _

_Not that Sokka was fooled. He grinned self-consciously. "Hey, that sounds like something I'd say."_

_Instead of replying, Suki eased her fingers from beneath his and opened her hand to examine the necklace she'd been offered. Two thumbnail sized tiles of beautifully mellowed ivory, no doubt from the tooth of some sea creature slain in the wilds of the South Pole, so alien to her upbringing, yet so dear to her now. As dear as the man standing so anxiously in front of her, waiting for her to answer the question he still hadn't actually asked her._

_The tiles were carved, a soft set of waves indicating the Water Nation, and a faint squiggle that, if she squinted a bit, was recognizable as the Kyoshi Warrior mark. She looked up from the carvings, carefully placing a considering look on her face. "Well, you might want to work on these a little more…" As Sokka opened his mouth, she allowed herself to smile. "But I'll wear them as they are. You can work on them after we're married."_

_Sokka's mouth remained opened for a long minute, then he closed it and smiled as widely as she'd ever seen him, which was saying something. "So, the answer's yes?"_

_She carefully placed the necklace over her head before reaching over to gently punch him in the arm. "Of course it's yes, you dope!" Then she was in his arms and kissing his lips and they were laughing and holding each other and basking in the perfect moment._

"Perfect moments never last," she whispered, to herself and her unborn child. She held up the tiles; despite her teasing, she'd never allowed him to replace them with the ones he'd 'improved'. In her mind, they had always been perfect.

The baby kicked, and Suki rubbed her abdomen soothingly. Movement subsided, at least temporarily, as she crooned an old lullaby, to settle herself as much as the baby.

"We're missing daddy's funeral," she said after a few minutes, settling herself back against the soft, silken pillows that littered her bed. She looked down at her hand, surprised to see how hard she was clenching the ivory tiles. It wasn't the pain that made her let go, rather the sudden fear that she'd damaged Sokka's handiwork. But no, the tiles were fine, the chain was fine, and she allowed the necklace to once more drop to her chest. "The doctors won't let me get up even for that."

She choked back a sob. She was alone in her rooms for the first time since hearing of Sokka's death. Well, mostly alone. There was a servant sitting patiently in the alcove near the bathing facilities and the doctors would be popping in and out all day, as well as the midwife, but for the first time she lacked the company of her and husband's family and friends; even her Kyoshi warriors were attending the solemn rites down by the ocean. At her insistence, of course, but that didn't make this any easier.

_"The doctors say it would be too dangerous to move you, even if we took you on a stretcher and carried you to the funeral." _Minya, her second-in-command, had fretted over this unforeseen stumbling block; she and Suki and everyone else had assumed her presence at the funeral, until the doctors had flatly denied any such exercise.

The midwife had agreed, and that had been that. Katara had even offered to put off the ceremony until the baby was born, but if things worked out as they should, that wouldn't be for many months. And it wouldn't be fair to leave everyone else in a state of suspense, to make them wait, to force Katara to go to the basement room day after day to renew the preserving ice around Sokka's body, to allow Hakoda more time to brood over his son's untimely death while keeping vigil at his frozen side. So she'd pretended to be stronger than she actually felt, putting her own foot down, forcing them to go through with the original schedule.

Selfishly, now that it was actually happening, she wished she hadn't, even through the guilt she felt at her self-indulgence. "I should be there, we both should be," she murmured to her baby, rubbing her stomach with gentle finger-strokes. "But your daddy wouldn't want anything to happen to us." And they'd had a private ceremony, just her and Katara and Hakoda and Kanna, before the ice-encased body was taken to the piers and the waiting funeral-ship. Sokka's family, her baby's family.

Her family. She'd already made up her mind about that; as an orphan she had no family obligations of her own to Kyoshi Island, just the bond between herself and her sister-warriors. Who would understand her decision. Minya would become their leader, and she would turn her temporary leave-of-absence into a permanent move to the South Pole. Sokka's child and Sokka's family deserved to see his son or daughter (_please, please be the son he wanted so desperately_) grow up where Sokka himself had spent his childhood.

Most of his childhood, she corrected herself. The best part of it, until his mother had been taken by the Fire Nation's bloody war. She wouldn't wish any crazy quests for world peace on the baby resting so uneasily in her body, but if they did come, she'd make sure he or she was ready for it.

It would be another way to honor her husband's memory.

**oOo**

Katara gazed back at the rapidly-disappearing shoreline. "I wish the doctors would have let Suki come! It isn't fair!"

Zuko bit back his initial response; it "wasn't fair" that Aang be excluded, either. Nor was he, although Katara didn't know it. Aang was on one of the other ships, at Zuko's request, keeping himself out of Katara's path until she calmed down and realized she was over-reacting.

At least, Zuko hoped she would calm down and realize she was over-reacting; she'd shown no signs of doing either during the week of funeral preparation. When Aang had approached her, she hadn't yelled or cried or accused, just coldly stepped around him as if he were some inanimate impediment to her progress and walked away. Zuko had been forced to explain, as gently as he could, how Katara's anger had landed squarely on Aang's shoulders.

The Avatar not only understood, he even believed Katara was justified in blaming him. "She's right, I should have found a way to stop him permanently," he'd mumbled before running off in the opposite direction. Before giving Zuko time to offer comfort for his betrothed's coldness.

All Zuko did was murmur reassurances into Katara's hair as she leaned against him, carefully not-looking at the forward prow of the ship that was taking them out to the open ocean. Her father and grandmother kept vigil over the ice-shrouded form on one side, while Toph sat on the other side, cross-legged on the deck, surrounded by several small boulders whose purpose Katara seemed to understand, although Zuko had yet to be given an explanation. For all he knew, it was just so Toph had some way to "see" on the wooden deck of the Water Tribe ship, but he doubted it was that simple.

When they reached the appointed spot and lowered the sails, when the other ships trailing them at a respectful distance had done the same, Katara finally freed herself from Zuko's embrace, offering a dim smile as she walked slowly up to her brother's body. She stopped briefly to hug her father and grandmother, then stepped to Toph's side, reaching down to haul the younger woman to her feet. Zuko moved closer, then hesitated until Kanna indicated he should join them.

The three of them watched in solemn silence as Katara Bent the ice surrounding her brother's form back into water, juggling it just above his head in a globule while Toph moved into an Earth-Bending stance and literally stomped the stones around her into fragments, which then reformed around Sokka's blue-wrapped form. A stone coffin, Zuko realized, to better ensure that Sokka's body ended up at the bottom of the ocean with some kind of protection. He had no idea if this was something Toph had come up with on her own or an Earth Kingdom tradition, but found that he approved. Katara's ball of water was re-forming back to ice, perched delicately on the board that lay across the railing for just this purpose, to slide into the ocean with a splash. Once it had settled into place on the calm surface of the ocean, six of Hakoda's sailors stepped forward to hoist Sokka onto their shoulders, grunting with the effort as they brought it over to the same rail.

Once there, ropes were attached and the stone-encased body of one who had died much too young was lowered over the side of the ship, Katara watching like a hawk the entire time. Zuko saw her nod approval as the ice received its load, then the ropes were removed and the wooden plank slid back on deck. Katara, her father, and Kanna continued to stare down at the body as everyone else gave them room to pay their last respects. As if at a signal, Hakoda and Kanna each touched Katara on a shoulder, then stepped aside enough for her to raise her arms and Bend the ocean to her will, causing it to push Sokka's icy raft away from the ship and off to its final destination.

Without warning a cool breeze sprang up and aided the ocean currents in moving the funeral raft along. _Aang_, Zuko realized, sparing an alarmed gaze for Katara in case she, too, realized what the Air Bender was doing. But no, her attention was all for the ice raft rapidly making its way, and Zuko sighed a silent breath of relief.

It wasn't until later, when they were disembarking, that he realized something else: Sokka of the Water Tribe had been given his final send-off by all four Elements: on the Fire Nation waters, with an Earth Tribe coffin on a Water Tribe ice floe, wafted on the breezes of the last of the Air Nomads.

It seemed fitting. It seemed…right.


	60. Oh, Baby!

**Three Months Later**

"You can do it, Suki! Just one more push and Sifoka says it'll be all over!"

Suki groaned and tried to swat Katara's soothing hand away from her forehead, only to clutch it tightly in the next instant as she uttered another agonized moan. "I can't! It hurts!" All thoughts of being a Kyoshi warrior were utterly banished at this penultimate moment; she moaned and cried and writhed in pain she'd never imagined possible, just like any other woman. What woman in her sane mind wanted this agony, nothing could possibly be worth it…with another push she didn't think she had in her, the agony ended as she felt the baby slide out from between her legs, to be expertly caught up in the midwife's hands and enfolded in a cloth.

She lay back, panting with effort, vaguely aware that Katara was still by her side, still clutching her hand in her own, although she gently pulled their fingers apart as the baby let out a hefty wail of disapproval at the whole birthing process and the strange world it now found itself inhabiting. "Boy or girl?" Suki asked, half-raising herself from the birthing bed. Katara leaned her back, shushing her as Sifoka brought the slimy, wailing bundle over. The umbilical cord trailed across Suki's stomach, not yet cut, but she had eyes only for the child now being laid on her chest.

"A boy, a fine, healthy boy," Sifoka proclaimed, beaming proudly.

Suki promptly burst into tears, raining kisses on her son's indignant face, causing him to squall even louder. Her tears mixed with laughter as she obediently handed the little bundle back to Sifoka for the ceremonial cutting of the cord, pushing obediently as the afterbirth slid out of her in a smelly, slimy mess, but none of it mattered, not the pain, nothing. She had a son. "Sokka, we have our son," she whispered joyfully. She looked up at Katara, who was smiling down at her, although there were suspicious trails of dampness down her own cheeks as well. "Thank you for being here," Suki whispered, her eyes drooping with sudden drowsiness.

"You're welcome," Katara whispered back, leaning down to plant a kiss on her sister-in-law's forehead. She sat by Suki's side as she drowsed; it had been a long night, but now her nephew was born. Suki had already proclaimed her intention to return to the South Pole with Hakoda and Kanna "when it was time," and Katara knew she wasn't just referring to when the baby was strong enough to face a sea voyage.

No, she meant the wedding. Katara's eyes dropped to her hand, with the now-familiar weight of the betrothal ring on the third finger of her left hand. She reached up to finger the necklace Zuko had so painstakingly created for her. The wedding had been planned for two months after Suki's anticipated birth-date, which had, in typical fashion, occurred two weeks earlier than expected.

Zuko had wanted to wait longer, but Katara was adamant. "We've lost too much time already," she reminded him when he argued for waiting at least a year after Sokka's untimely death. "Sokka already gave you the family blessing, didn't he?" When he'd nodded his reluctant agreement, she pressed her case. "There's no point in waiting, then. He wanted us to be married, he wouldn't want us to wait just because of some arbitrary mourning period. We'll always mourn him," she added with a catch in her voice, and Zuko had enfolded her in his arms and murmured his agreement to set the wedding six months earlier than he thought propriety demanded.

She knew why he really wanted to wait; he wanted her to stop being angry with Aang. He wanted the Avatar at their wedding, and not just for political reasons, but Katara's anger ran deep, deeper than anyone could possibly imagine. She'd never hated anyone in her life, not even Ozai, at least not until the end. Until he'd killed her brother and died for that act in a blizzard of fire. At that, his death had been too quick; there were some ancient Water Tribe tortures she'd heard whispered about the bonfire once or twice in her youth, when she wasn't supposed to be listening, that would have been very effective against a member of the Fire Nation…

But Ozai was dead, Sokka was dead, and Aang was alive.

And she hated him for it.

**oOo**

"Hey, Twinkle Toes, what's up?"

Aang didn't bother looking at Toph; he'd sensed her coming long before she spoke and knew she was on another one of her missions to Cheer Him Up. "Hey, Toph," he mumbled in reply, going back to stirring the water in the small pond with his hand.

He felt her sit next to him and dip cautious toes into the water, then leaned back with a contented sigh. "That feels great!" she enthused, and he closed his eyes, knowing what was coming next. She'd deliberately taken her feet out of her element in order to demonstrate her good intentions. She wasn't "listening" to his heartbeat or sensing any of his movements, not with the rest of her body on the low wooden bench they now shared.

He wanted to appreciate the gesture, he really did, but couldn't. "Katara still isn't speaking to me," he said, wincing inwardly at the sullen tone in his voice but doing nothing to modify it. Not for Toph, who was the only one to openly attempt to bring Katara around whenever she got the chance. She'd risked having herself exiled from the future Fire Lady's good will, but somehow managed never to fully cross that line. Aang found himself resenting her for it; he'd even yelled at her about it a couple of times, but stopped when he realized Toph had no intention of letting him push her away, or of stopping in her self-appointed mission to Patch Things Up.

"I know," she said in reply to his words, her sightless gaze aimed out over the water. "Suki had her baby," she added, as if in afterthought.

Aang turned his head to look at her this time, a grin splitting his features as he blurted: "When? What was it?"

"A boy, early this morning. You can go see him, if you like," she added, kicking idly at a fish that had come to nibble on her toes. "He's big and healthy and screams a lot," she added with a frown. "I had no idea babies could be so noisy!"

"Yeah, I'll have to go congratulate Suki. Uh, Katara isn't still around, is she?" he asked diffidently.

Toph shook her head. "Nope, Sugar Qu—uh, she had to get some sleep. She was up all night with Suki having the heck squeezed out of her hand, apparently. So it's safe to head over to Suki's house and pay a visit." She paused, then added softly: "I'll go with you, if you like."

Aang shook his head before he remembered that she'd rendered herself completely blind for his sake. "Yeah, that would be great," he said, changing his mind. Toph alone felt no compunction in spending time with him. Not that the others avoided him, not exactly, but since Zuko had apologetically banished him from the palace itself and given him his own house on the far end of the grounds, he saw the Fire Lord only for official business.

Aang sighed as he got to his feet and grabbed Toph's hand in his to help her up as well. If Katara had her way, he'd be banished from the entire Fire Nation, maybe from the entire world. She'd grudgingly allowed that he was still an important political figure, one of Zuko's advisors and a vital part of the ongoing peace process, but that was it. She wouldn't talk to him, she wouldn't see him, and even Zuko's requests that he be patient and give her time to heal were starting to sound desperate. If Katara hadn't cooled down enough to forgive him by now, she might never do so. He grieved the loss of their friendship as much as he grieved Sokka's death.

Toph kept her thoughts to herself, content just walk with Aang. He'd left his fingers entwined with hers; although they still hadn't done more than gingerly step around the fact that she'd kissed him and told him her feelings – what, three months ago? – they'd made some sort of progress, holding hands like this when walking together, the occasional hug good-night at the end of a long day. All when no one else was around, of course, but this was still a house of mourning, never mind the wedding coming up in a few short months. Even those preparations were subdued; the over-the-top sideshow Katara had feared wasn't going to happen, not now. Yes, there would be leaders from various factions making appearances and formal speeches and treaty presentations, but the ceremony itself would be much quieter than it might have been, had Zuko's Council had its way.

Things progressed, quietly but surely, just as her relationship with Aang seemed to be progressing.

Toph allowed herself a tiny frown at that thought, and hoped Aang wouldn't notice. Or at least not comment on it if he did notice. Or even attribute it to something else, his own worries, perhaps. At any rate, he'd be unlikely to guess that it was on account of their relationship, and that sparked a flame of relief in her mind. She didn't want to add to anybody's stress; she'd sternly suppressed her own natural impatience and frankness, allowing things to progress at their own speed rather than hurrying them along the way she really wanted to, deep in her heart.

_Just go with the flow, Toph,_ she advised herself, concentrating on the pleasant feel of Aang's fingers entwined with hers. _Things'll work out, they always do._

_Yeah, but not always the way we want them to_, some devilish part of her mind whispered back to her. She banished the thought as quickly as it appeared in her mind, not noticing that her frown had deepened.

Aang noticed, but refrained from comment. In spite of Toph's wishes otherwise, he knew exactly what was going through her mind. _I wish I could tell her what she wants to hear,_ he thought wistfully. But he couldn't, not when he wasn't sure how he felt, not when his emotions were all tangled up in guilt and sorrow over Sokka's death and Katara's continued refusal to forgive him. He'd given up asking her, at Zuko's advice. And Suki's and Toph's and even Hakoda's.

_That's what hurt the most, that everyone else had already forgiven him,_ he admitted sadly as they strolled along the crushed gravel path through the garden he and Toph called "The Jungle" for its lush overgrowth and deliberate lack of planning. Lady Ursa's work, of course. Even Sokka's father held no blame toward the Avatar in his heart. Only Katara.

The one time she'd actually spoken to him had been after yet another fruitless attempt to ask her forgiveness on his part, to try and explain why he'd done what he'd done. She'd whirled to face him, face red, lips compressed in a harsh line. "Can you bring my brother back?" she'd snapped. When Aang shook his head in a wordless "no", she'd turned her back on him once again and stormed off. "When you can do that, we'll talk," she snarled over her shoulder, and that was that.

Zuko, who'd witnessed the whole thing, had laid a sympathetic hand on Aang's shoulder and mumbled something apologetic before hurrying off after his betrothed.

That had been nearly a month ago. Maybe now, now that Sokka's son was born? But no. Not likely. All she would probably do would be to spit out how it was his fault Sokka wasn't around to see his son born, and that was more pain than he thought he could take at the moment.

He'd reluctantly agreed to stay for the wedding, the wedding Katara didn't want him to have any part in, only relenting as much as she did at Zuko's insistence that the Avatar had to at least make an appearance or else there could be a problem. Everyone knew that Katara hated him now; if he was absent from important political events – and no matter how personal a wedding might be, this wedding was also a political event – then rumors might start that the Fire Lord and the Avatar had also had a falling out, and that could have disastrous results.

Suki and Toph had added their pleas, but he still took off as often as possible on short-term trips. Suki in particular wanted him there when her child was born, and so he'd promised. Toph had merely pointed out that walking away would be the same as giving up, and much as he wanted to, everyone else was insisting that it was the wrong thing to do, and so he stayed.

As they neared Suki's small house, they saw that the front door was open wide, a Kyoshi Island custom when a baby was born to indicate that all were welcome to come and coo over the little bundle of joy and congratulate the parents.

Aang grit his teeth at the thought. Parent, singular, in this case, but he plastered a smile on his face and strode through the front door, still towing Toph along.

Toph hid her astonishment at the fact that Aang hadn't let her hand go, the way he usually did when they were meeting up with other people. Whether it was conscious or not, she certainly wasn't going to tug her hand out of his grip. Especially not when that grip had tightened to what might be considered "desperate."

They stopped outside Suki's bed chamber, Toph nearly stumbling over Aang as they realized they were hearing Katara's voice. Aang ducked behind the door, shamelessly eavesdropping, and Toph allowed herself to be towed around behind him.

Katara sounded happy; was that her laughter ringing through the room, quickly joined by Suki's and even Zuko's? Yes, now that she was using all her senses, Toph could tell that Suki was attended by both halves of the royal couple-to-be.

"So, have you decided on a name?" Zuko asked.

Suki must have shaken her head "no" because Katara then chimed in: "But you had a name picked out if it was a girl!"

"Well, I was pretty well convinced it _was_ a girl," Suki admitted, sounding sheepish. Her voice softened as she added: "But I'm glad it was a boy. Sokka wanted a son so badly…Should that be his name? Should I name him for his father?"

Katara again, sounding thoughtful: "No, I mean, unless you really want to, but it's not really a Water Tribe tradition. Gran-Gran would say it was inviting disaster, forcing the child to try and live up to an inherited name instead of forging his own path."

"We sort of have the same tradition on Kyoshi Island," Suki agreed, sounding relieved. "But that still doesn't help."

"How about combing your two names?" That outlandish suggestion came from Zuko; Toph stifled a snigger at the thought, and apparently Katara and Suki were incredulous as well, for he continued with a hint of defensiveness: "What? You could call him Sukka. Or Sokki."

"Sokki. Great idea," was Katara's sarcastic rejoinder. "Everyone will think he's been named after a Fire Nation alcoholic beverage."

"Yeah, but Sukka isn't so bad," Suki mused. "I kinda like it." There was a hint of deviltry in her voice as she added: "What about you two? You could do the same for your first child."

A disconcerted silence met that suggestion, then a burst of laughter from three throats filled the room. Aang's hand tightened on Toph's but she refrained from complaint, understanding how that laughter was hurting him. How he missed being a part of the group.

"Right, we could name our first child 'Katzuko!'" Zuko cried merrily. "Or how about 'Zuktara'?"

"Or 'Katarzo'?" was Katara's choice, followed by more sounds of merriment.

Apparently that was as much as Aang could take. "I'll come back later," he choked out, then released Toph's hand and took off running.

Toph shook her head sadly. This thing between Aang and Katara had to be fixed, and fast, no matter how much the others counseled patience. Scowling, she marched into Suki's bed chamber and stood, hands on hips, waiting for the others to notice her.

It was time Katara received a piece of Toph's mind.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_A/N: I couldn't resist the "name game". Enjoy and review!_


	61. Toph Love

** oOo**

Toph could feel her friends' astonishment as she stormed into the room, being sure to slam the door shut behind her.

Of course, that promptly started little Sukka, or whatever his name was going to be, crying, and she immediately regretted the drama of her entrance. And just as immediately put it behind her as Suki picked laid the little bundle over her shoulder and started rocking back and forth, making soothing noises.

"Toph? Is something wrong?"

"There sure is, Sparky," she replied in answer to the Fire Lord's startled question. Her finger shot out and unerringly pointed at Katara. "And it's all her fault! Mind if your betrothed and I have a little chat, woman to woman?"

"I have nothing to say if this is about Aang," Katara started, but Toph cut her off with an irritated stamp of her foot.

"Of COURSE this is about Aang!" she hissed. But quietly, so as not to start Suki's baby crying again. "Come on, Sugar Queen, let's take this outside. Our vibes aren't gonna be very good for the baby and you and me need to talk in private." Without another word, she turned on her heel and stomped out of the room. Either Katara would follow or she wouldn't, but one thing the Toph knew the Water Bender wasn't, was a coward.

Toph waited just outside the open door to the house, one foot tapping impatiently against the smooth stone pavement that made up the path to the front door. As expected, she heard Katara's hurried footsteps only seconds later.

She also felt the heat of Katara's glare on her face as the older girl stopped directly in front of. "You mind telling me why you had to disturb Suki with this? Right after she had a baby?"

Not bothering to speak, Toph simply raised them both on a platform of earth and sent them undulating away from the house, away from the palace and gardens, not stopping until they reached the walls. She felt Katara's hands grip her shoulders as the other girl bit back a startled yelp at Toph's peremptory gesture, but made no other sound as Toph breached the wall and continued through, negligently waving a hand in apology as someone yelled in alarm from atop the nearest battlement. The hole closed up neatly behind them as they continued on her self-created mode of transportation, rippling across the countryside until finally coming to a stop near a heap of boulders at the bottom of an abandoned quarry.

With a quick gesture, Toph raised the levels of the uneven stone walls around them into a smooth bowl, impossible to climb, effectively trapping the two of them beneath the never-ending glare of the mid-summer sun. Unlike many quarries, this one had been left empty of water; Katara wasn't going anywhere until Toph let her. And she had no plans to let her until she'd at least begun to see reason.

"Sugar Queen – Katara – this has got to stop. You're hurting yourself as much as you're hurting Aang, and everyone around you." When Katara opened her mouth to speak, Toph somehow sensed her intention and stopped her with a glare that brought them as eye-to-eye as if the younger girl could actually see. "It's time you finally listened to someone about Aang, and lucky you, that someone's gonna be me." Toph jammed a thumb against her own chest, then moved her hands to her hips as she settled in for a long-overdue chastisement.

**oOo**

Zuko looked at Suki, who looked back at him, still cradling her now-sleeping son protectively against her chest. "Well," he started, then stopped, not sure what to say.

"Well," Suki agreed with a smile. "Well, indeed! It's about time. I thought everyone would be tip-toeing around the problem forever!"

Zuko reached up to scratch his head uncertainly. "I wasn't tip-toeing," he protested, then stopped as Suki's smile widened. "OK, maybe I was a little." He pinched two fingers together to indicate a very tiny possibility. "But what else could I do? She wouldn't listen!!"

Suki sighed and eased her hold on her son. "I know. But I think it's a good sign that she didn't just ignore Toph the way she's been ignoring us when we try to bring up the subject."

Zuko grinned reluctantly. "Yeah, well, when Toph doesn't want to be ignored, she usually gets her way." The grin faded. "I just hope she out-stubborns Katara this time." He flopped into the chair next to Suki's bed, nibbling absently at a thumbnail while he worried at the thought of how Katara was going to react, and if there was some tactful way to let the Bei Fongs know their daughter might not be part of the wedding procession after all.

**oOo**

Toph wasn't wondering anything, too focused on her self-appointed task. "Look, Katara, I know you want to blame someone; heck, blaming Aang even makes sense. But do you really want to keep hating him for something he couldn't help?"

Oh, that did it; she could practically feel Katara's blood pressure rising. "Couldn't help?" she demanded, her voice shrill. "Of course he could help it! No one told him not to kill Ozai, even his past incarnations!"

"Yeah, but what would it have cost him if he did?" That question got Katara's attention; she swallowed whatever she'd been about to say and appeared to actually be listening as Toph rushed on: "Come on, Katara, he was raised as an Air Nomad, you know that! They were pacifists, he's a vegetarian, for crying out loud! And if you're gonna blame him, you may as well blame me for letting myself get captured and poisoned so Ozai could blackmail Aang into giving him his powers back!"

"He would have done that if any of us were captured," Katara pointed out, then stopped, chagrined, as she realized she was undermining her own reasons for hating the Avatar.

Toph nodded. "Yeah, he would have. And you know he would have gladly traded his life for Sokka's, if he could. If some God showed up and stopped time just as Sokka saved Iroh and offered to let Aang trade places, you know he would have. In a heartbeat. Or am I lying?"

Katara backed up several steps, practically vibrating with tension as she did her best not to explode at Toph. She'd let the younger girl drag her out here to the middle of nowhere, even let her block them both in without comment, but this…this was too much. "Toph! It doesn't matter! It's still his fault my brother's d-d-dead!" The last word broke on a sob she did her best to suppress.

"Yeah, it is," Toph agreed, keeping her own voice calm in spite of her soaring hopes; that sob was a good sign. She hoped. "He didn't do things the way I would have, that's for sure; I would have melted Ozai's crazy head into a boulder then buried him a landslide, then dug a hole as deep as I could manage and dropped him into it to rot. I'd have called lava and found every piece of metal in the ground and shoved it into his body until he screamed for mercy. Oh, there were a lot of things I'd have done." Her voice lowered to a croon, and Katara stared at her in astonishment as tears flowed freely down Toph's cheeks. Toph, who never cried, had now cried twice for Sokka.

"And what about you, Katara? What would Sugar Queen have done if she'd known Ozai was gonna kill her big brother?" The croon became a taunt, and Katara's hands fisted at her sides, fingernails digging into palms until one snapped, imbedding itself deep within her skin. She ignored it, ignored the pain as her eyes became distant.

"I would have drowned him; I would have frozen him in ice, not enough to kill him, just enough to keep him from being able to move, then I would have dropped him into the deepest part of the ocean to drown," she whispered. She dropped to her knees, hands over her eyes as she joined Toph in crying. She'd cried for Sokka before, but this time it was different. She was crying for herself as well, for lost innocence, for the sudden understanding of Aang's situation that Toph had forced her to confront, for her own stubborn unwillingness to let go of her pain and be the person she was before Sokka died.

She'd mourned his death, but not her other losses, and she did so now, sobbing so hard her breathing turned to great, gasping hiccups as she doubled over at the combination of physical and emotional pain, barely noticing when Toph joined her, reaching to hold her shoulders and murmur soothing noises into her hair, but not stopping her, not trying to quiet the tears, at least not directly. Letting her have her final cry out, the one that seemed to sweep the noxious emotions she'd been harboring onto the hard ground beneath her.

"You're mad at Aang because he didn't go against his own nature, and you're mad at yourself because you know you would have tried to find a way not to kill Ozai if you could, if you'd been in the same situation," Toph said when the sobs finally died down, when Katara slumped completely to the ground, huddled around herself.

When Katara seemed unable to respond, Toph plunged on: "You say you'd have drowned him, but would you have, really? Or would you have just tried to find a way to prevent Sokka from dying? You would have been there if I hadn't needed you to keep me alive," she reminded Katara. "But you didn't hate me for that; you knew I needed a healer and that's really what you are. So why hate Aang for being what he really is? A peacemaker. A respecter of life, no matter how twisted. You didn't kill Azula when you had the chance," she continued, pressing her point, not sure if Katara was even listening or not, but knowing she had to try. "She'd tried to kill you and Zuko, she broke the rules of Agni Kai and forced Zuko to save your life, but you still didn't kill her. Think about that, think about it long and hard; she could have just used you as bait when she kidnapped you after she escaped from prison; she could have killed Zuko if she hadn't been so greedy, if she wasn't so dead set on using him to try and get Aang. And that would have been as much your fault as it is Aang's fault that Ozai killed Sokka."

With those words, she stood up. Katara remained huddled at her feet, head resting on crossed arms, knees pulled up, face hidden beneath her hair; even if Toph had been able to see she wouldn't have been able to read her expression. With a sigh, the young Earth Bender turned and created a gentle ramp leading back up out of the quarry, stomping her way up it without looking back.

Either Katara had listened and taken her words to heart, or she hadn't. Either that last bout of painful crying had helped, or it hadn't. It was out of Toph's hands now.

Whatever Katara did next was up to her.

**oOo**

"Toph! Where've you been? I've been looking for you everywhere! Why'd you break a hole in the wall?"

Toph shrugged at Aang's questions, trudging wearily through the main gate to the palace grounds. She'd opted not to make as dramatic an entrance as she had an exit, but Aang was there when she came back as if he'd been waiting the entire time by the massive stone gates.

Which he might very well have been doing; she estimated that her and Katara's little "chat" hadn't taken very long, maybe, what, an hour? Then walking back to the palace in order to let off a little steam, that had taken another hour or two. And it would take Katara just as long once she decided to get up and bring herself home as well. "Come on, Twinkle Toes, we weren't gone that long," Toph grumbled.

"We? We who?" She could feel his startlement and cursed herself for forgetting that Aang wouldn't know she'd taken Katara with her. She sighed and resigned herself to telling Aang the whole story, all the while not stopping in her intention to head directly for her favorite pond in order to lounge on its edges and soak her very tired feet. _Hope Sugar Queen's hurt just as bad_, she thought vindictively. _Serves her right, making me drag her all the way out to the middle of nowhere so I could force her to listen to me._

Aang was doing his best to keep his reactions to himself as she told him what she'd been up to, but she could feel the nervous stutter of his heartbeat as he realized what she'd done in order to try and patch things up between himself and the former love of his life.

When she finished, she waited to see if he would say anything. But he remained silent as they finally approached the destination Toph had been steering them toward. Speeding up, Toph walked right up to the brick-edged pond and plopped down on the ground, immediately thrusting her feet into the soothing waters. She ignored the bench that sat invitingly just to her left, having no intention of removing herself from her element any more than her aching feet required. If Aang didn't want her to be able to read him, then it was up to him to hover on an air ball or something. Or leave; she was too tired to care which one he picked.

Of course he opted to do neither, instead joining her on the ground. She heard a low grunt as he pulled off his boots, then a contented "aah" as he placed his own feet in the cool waters.

They sat there in companionable silence, neither willing to break it, each knowing that when they did there were likely to be hard words doing the breaking.

Fifteen minutes passed thusly; just when Toph concluded Aang had no intention of saying anything to her, he spoke. "Thank you."

"It needed doing," Toph grumbled, uncomfortable with his gratitude, shrugging it off as best she could. "We all played our parts in getting Sokka killed." He winced at her bluntness but didn't correct her, and why should he? They both knew she was right. "If Sokka was here right now he'd probably tell us to get our heads out of the past and start planning for the future." She cocked her head to one side, reconsidering her words. "Forget that. If Sokka was here, there wouldn't be a problem."

"What if all you did was make Katara hate you, too?" A hard question, but one that needed asking.

Toph shrugged. "Then she hates me. And my parents crawl up my ass because I forfeited my place of honor in the most important wedding since peace broke out. Oh well. I'll live."

Aang knew she wasn't as casual about the prospect as she was pretending, and she knew he knew, but neither one of them pointed out how much it would hurt Toph if Katara did, indeed, react to her tough love by shunning her as she currently shunned Aang.

Aang reached over and placed his hand over hers. "Thank you again, Toph. I know you like yelling at people," they both grinned slightly, "but I know you didn't want to have to do this, either."

"Listen, Twinkle Toes," Toph replied with a scowl. "Do me a favor and stop thanking me, especially since we don't know if you have anything to thank me for yet!"

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, causing a slow flush to cover her face and neck. "I'm thanking you for trying, you dope!"

She turned her head to snap at him, only to find that he hadn't moved his own head; without hesitating, he pressed his lips against hers. Stunned, all she could do was sit there and let him kiss her, until her shock passed and she realized she ought to be kissing him back. Which she did, with a great deal of enthusiasm.

She may have just started a war with the future Fire Lady, but wasn't going to let that bother her, not now.

If she and Aang had a chance of a future together, then nothing else mattered.

* * *

_A/N: Yes, yes, another punny title. I have a weakness. So sue me. Or at least review me! :)_


	62. The Right Moment

**oOo**

It took Katara hours to make her way back to the palace, alone and on foot. When she plodded through the front gates, the guards were startled to see her; none of them realized she was with Toph when she made her unorthodox way through the palace walls earlier.

Cries of alarm went up at the sight of her, tear-streaked, filthy, alone and on foot, but she waved them away irritably. "I fell down, I'm fine, I just want a hot bath and a nap before dinner." Against her will a runner was sent to her rooms to make sure all was ready, and one of the younger soldiers was given the honor of escorting her.

An honor she'd much rather do without, but submitted to as gracefully as possible under the circumstances. She was just glad none of her friends or family were there to see her, and to make sure that remained the case, she skulked up the back stairs used normally by servants. Of course, word of her bedraggled condition would spread, and Suki and Zuko certainly knew she'd followed Toph and probably knew exactly where she'd been, but she'd rather not display herself until she'd at least cleaned a good foot of earth off her body.

Miraculously enough, she made it to her chambers unseen by anyone but servants, and very few of those as well. She headed straight for the bathing chamber, sighing with relief as she arrived to find the sunken tub full of steaming water scented with her favorite blend of herbs…and no one around. The servants assigned to her had learned by now that when the future Fire Lady said she wanted to be alone, she meant it. Dropping her clothing to the floor in a heap, she dipped her foot in and gave another sigh, this time of contentment. Perfect.

She sank into the welcome warmth, submerging her head after shaking her hair free of any remaining pins. The cleverly worked piping drew the dirt away and left the cloudy water clean after a few minutes. She spent the next hour assiduously cleaning her hair and body, taking time to make sure every cuticle, every pore, every possible nook and cranny was free of dirt. Her eyes were still red, the hand-mirror told her, but that, too was fading, and should be completely cleared up by the time she needed it to be.

She smiled to herself as she finally stepped from the water and wrapped herself in one of the oversized towels that lay waiting on a nearby bench. She carefully turned the dial that would allow the tub to drain fully, knowing that by the time she was ready for another bath it would be ready for her, completely cleared of any remaining dirt.

Draping herself in the gauziest items she could find, she tilted her head at her reflection, gauging the effect and blushing when she realized she looked like a woman out to seduce a lover. Giggling to herself, she covered the filmy garments with a heavier gown of deep gold and tied it with a single red belt that bore the Fire Nation symbol on its clasp. Slipping into a pair of matching sandals, she made her way out of her quarters and headed down the hall towards Zuko's private rooms.

There were two guards standing outside the door as usual, and they assured her the Fire Lord was due back any minute to change for dinner. Katara nodded her thanks. "I have some private matters to discuss with Zuko; can I wait inside for him?"

They glanced at each other, then one shrugged and nodded while the other opened one of the doors. Katara passed through, her heat beating heavily at what she was about to do, but nothing and no one was going to change her mind. Not this time.

She crossed the room and took a seat in one of the low chairs by the window, passing the time by enjoying the view. The sun was beginning to set, leaving streaks of gold and red and impossible shades of pink and lilac across the sky, threaded by thin clouds too wispy to hold any hope of moisture.

At the sound of the door opening, she looked over, her heart once again pounding in her chest. Zuko entered the room, looking cautiously around until he spotted her and closed the door behind him. "Katara! Are you all right?"

She stood up, smiling at him, ignoring the dizziness that was starting to overcome her. "I'm fine. Toph and I just talked, that's all."

"Toph came back hours ago, she said to just let you be. If you weren't back by supper, I was going to come after you," Zuko confessed, stopping just in front of her and allowing a tiny frown to crease his forehead. Something was different about Katara, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

She was still smiling; maybe that was it. Her smiles had been rare indeed since her brother's death…that was it! It wasn't just the smile, it was her clothes. She wasn't wearing mourning colors today, of either the Fire Nation or the Water Tribe. "That dress looks really nice," he said, not sure what else to say. If he brought up the fact that he'd noticed it wasn't mourning, would her smile disappear?

Katara toyed with the clasp. "Thanks. I haven't worn it in a long time. I was hoping you'd like it." She took a deep breath; this was it, now or never. "But I hope you like the other things I'm wearing better," she said softly, then with one swift motion undid the clasp and dropped the belt to the ground.

Zuko gaped at her as he realized she was disrobing, and reached abortively to stop her. His hand froze in mid-reach as he got a good, long look at the diaphanous bits and pieces she'd adorned herself with under the heavier gold gown, which was even now slipping down to puddle at her feet. She stood framed by the glorious sunset, but he had eyes only for her. "Uh, Katara, are you sure?" he managed to ask. Forced himself to ask, actually, as his body was quite certain that this was what he wanted, thank you very much, but it wasn't about what he wanted. It was, and always had been, about Katara.

In answer she stepped forward and wound her arms around his neck, bringing his face closer for a deep, lingering kiss. "I told you I'd know when the time was right," she whispered in his ear. "Well, that time is now." She pressed her body against his, smiling a satisfied smile. She wasn't sure exactly what the next move would be, but trusted that instinct and Zuko's superior knowledge in such matters would stand her in good stead.

With a groan Zuko swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed, eyes bright with desire. "Katara," he rasped, "if you have any doubts, any at all, now is the time to let me know. If we go any further, I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself."

In response she knelt up and untied the fabric from around her neck, leaving only a few wisps that hid nothing wound about her hips. Then she reached up to unfasten his own clothing, fumbling a bit at the parts she was unfamiliar with, and he took her actions for answer. He turned away only long enough to slither out of his pants and underthings, kicking off his boots before turning to face her once again.

She examined him with a great deal of curiosity; she knew the basics of male anatomy from dealing with babies, but she'd never seen a grown man naked before. She looked him up and down, eyes lingering on certain parts of his body that seemed a bit alien, but also brought a shiver of desire to her spine. After a moment she looked back up at his face, and realized he hadn't moved on purpose, that he was allowing her to look her fill, and she felt her heart swell with love that he was so willing to be patient with her.

Hesitantly she rose to her knees and held her arms out to him. He held her close, nothing between them but the wisps of fabric about her hips, which he was busily undoing and allowing to drop to the bed as she tilted her head back to be kissed.

Zuko savored the kiss. Remembering that Katara was a complete innocent when it came to sex, he managed to keep his touch gentle, but nearly lost it when she moaned against his lips, a gasp of surprised pleasure following soon after as he once again turned his attention to her breasts.

His hands drifted downward, hovering around her belly button. A fine sheen of sweat was forming along her temples, and he paused to gently wipe it away. "Katara, you know there's pain the first time, pain and blood…"

"I know," she murmured. "But I also know it passes."

He kissed his way back up her neck to her lips, capturing them in another fevered kiss. He broke away after a moment and stared down at her. She returned the stare trustingly, a smile on her face, cheeks flushed with the little he'd done so far, and he cleared his throat. "When I was thirteen, my father sent me a woman to teach me…well, to teach me about this sort of thing."

Katara nodded, not sure where this was going, but trusting that Zuko had a point. "I know you're not a virgin." She blushed as she said the word. "Just like you know I am."

"Right, so I just wanted to let you know that there's a way to make the first time…not so bad." He was fumbling, not sure exactly how much she knew about sex in the abstract, and not even sure she would be willing to let him do what he was about to propose doing. "I want you to trust me, and believe me when I tell you that, no matter what I'm about to do, no matter how…strange…it may seem, I guarantee that if I do it right, you'll enjoy your first time a lot more."

Her eyes widened. "More than I'm enjoying it now?" she breathed. Then she reached over and took his hand in hers, planting a kiss on his palm before speaking again. "I trust you, Zuko."

And she did, allowing him to do everything he wanted, making sure as he did so that it was what she wanted as well.

Her reaction to his touch was everything he'd hoped for, and more. When he finished, he kissed her again. "Now for the bad part," he murmured in her ear. "But I promise, after this, it'll be better."

And it was.

**oOo**

Much later they repaired to the royal bathing chamber to clean up and enjoy a long soak in the sunken tub that resembled Katara's only in function; if she'd thought hers was ornate, it was only because she didn't realize what "ornate" really meant. As they lounged in each other's arms, steam filled the chamber as she manipulated the water by Bending it into swift swirls and eddies that eased the ache between her legs, and Zuko raised the heat at her instructions.

It wasn't until they were drying each other off that they realized they'd completely missed the dinner gong.


	63. After the Lovin'

**oOo**

Zuko solved the problem of food by sticking his head out the door and ordering a tray sent up from the kitchens. "If anyone asks, we're indisposed unless its an emergency. And by emergency," Katara heard him growl, "I mean the palace is on fire, the Earth Kingdom has attacked or the sky is falling. Got it?" She heard a low voiced response she assumed as assent, and giggled to herself quietly as she lounged under the coverlet.

When she realized what time it was, that they'd missed dinner, her first reaction had been dismay tinged with embarrassment; what would everyone think? "Who cares?" had been Zuko's response.

"I do!" she'd retorted. "What will my father and Gran-Gran think? Ohhh!" She buried her head under the coverlet, then gasped and jumped off the bed. "Zuko! The bloodstain!"

He peeked under the covers and then turned serious eyes on her. "Yeah, do you think it looks more like someone was murdered or more like I cut my finger accidentally? These things matter, you know." His eyes turned mischievous, and Katara stamped her foot in aggravation, not noticing how his eyes automatically went to her breasts and the way they swayed at her movement.

"Zuko! This is serious! You have to—burn them or something!"

"Why?" he'd asked, then realized she was trembling. He scrambled out from under the coverlet and took her in his arms. "Katara, are you, are you having…regrets?"

She turned her astonished gaze up to meet his. "Regrets? No! Just, um, realizing that there are consequences, I guess." Her gaze softened as she reached up to touch his cheek. "I love you, Zuko, and the time was right. I guess I just didn't think about, you know. What would happen after." Her cheeks flushed redder than the belt of the gown she'd discarded and she buried her face in his neck.

He held her closely. "Katara, it's all right," he whispered, leaning down to plant a reassuring kiss on the crown of her head. "But I'm not burning the sheets. No one cares if the Fire Lord and his betrothed share a bed before the wedding, and the servants, well, they'll actually be reassured by the bloody sheets. They'll know you were, um, pure when you came to my bed."

That got a reaction, and the one he expected; she raised her head to stare at him in outrage. "Pure?!? Whose business is that?!?"

"Exactly," he replied, beaming down at her. "No ones but ours." His smile faltered. "But I don't know how your father and grandmother are gonna feel about it."

"Who's gonna tell them?" Katara asked with a sparkle of deviltry in her eyes. "Even if they guess that's what we were doing, they won't come out and ask me. Well," she added, reconsidering, "at least I don't think my dad would. Gran-Gran might." Her smile came back, dazzling in its intensity. "And if she does, I'll just tell her its none of her business!"

Zuko had private doubts about that, but was too polite to say so. Besides, Katara was happy again, and that was all that mattered to him. He took her in his arms for a lingering kiss, which she returned in full measure.

Neither of them heard the discreet knock at the door a few minutes later. When there was no response, the guards sent the servant bearing the platter of food back to the kitchens, but instructed him to leave the tray.

After all, there was no sense in wasting the food.

**oOo**

The next morning they did hear the knock at the door. Katara yanked the covers over her head as Zuko stood up and slipped into his trousers. He opened the door and stuck his head out, then moved aside as a tray of food appeared. He took it from the servant, muttered his thanks, then firmly closed the door behind the man and took the tray to the bed. "Breakfast time!" he sang, yanking the covers off Katara's head.

The heavenly aromas got her undivided attention, and for a long time no sound was heard but that of two young lovers eating their morning repast.

When she was full, Katara placed her bowl on the tray with a sigh of contentment. "That was perfect." She looked at Zuko. "Now, how do I get back to my own room without raising any more gossip than I've already caused?"

Zuko was relieved to her the lightness of her tone; apparently her attack of nerves last night was only temporary. Now she was back to the old Katara, practical in the face of undeniable facts. "Well, there are a couple of secret passages, of course, but the easiest way would be for you to just go through that door," he pointed to the door opposite the foot of the bed, "and into the Fire Lady's chambers. Not my mother's," he added hastily at the disconcerted expression that crossed Katara's face. "The ones that will be yours after we're married. From there you can just go back to your own room."

"I'll miss it," she replied wistfully. "My old room, I mean. I love the colors you picked out, and the tiles and everything."

"Good, then you'll like what I've had them do to the Fire Lady's chambers as well," he replied, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and holding his hand out to her. "Come on, let me show you!"

Katara scrambled to join him, stopping only to gather up the discarded gold gown and its red belt. She put it on, feeling incredibly naughty at the lack of underclothing, then picked up her gold sandals and held them in one hand, holding the other one out to grasp Zuko's.

When he opened the door and pulled her through, she gasped with delight. Letting his hand go, she stepped further into the room, drinking in every detail. "Zuko, it's perfect!" she cried.

It was like looking at her other chamber, only on a much grander scale. There was a bed, which she ignored as she suspected she wouldn't be spending much time in it, and there was blue tiling on the floor, cool to her feet even in the heat of an August morning. There was matching tiling on the walls to about mid-waist, then cool white plaster. The window was framed in wood, and the shutters were carved by the same master hand that had done the shutters in her other room. There was a writing desk and chair cunningly wrought of wood with fanciful South Polar designs carved into the sides and legs, there were white and blue pillows on the wide window seat, and the curtains were of a silky material in shades of blue she'd never thought possible.

Katara threw herself into Zuko's arms, raining kisses on his face and neck, hugging him tightly to her. "It's perfect," she repeated, smiling up at him.

He kissed her, then reluctantly let her go. "That leads to the main corridor," he said, pointing out an intricately carved door with porpoise-seals and whales. He turned her around to face the bed. "And that one, the one on the right?" It was half-hidden by a swath of blue and white embroidered drapery, but she could just make out a plain wooden door, and nodded. "That one leads to the back corridor. More private. Plus it goes directly to the hall with your room."

A sigh escaped Katara's lips. "And this must be my cue," she said, shoulders drooping. "Time fore me to get back to reality."

Zuko hated what he was about to say, but the subject needed bringing up. "Katara, about yesterday…"

She stiffened, knowing exactly what he was talking about, and sex had nothing to do with it. "Zuko, please, not now. I don't want to spoil everything." She darted through the back door before he could stop her, and he sighed. Obviously whatever "talk" she and Toph had, it hadn't worked. Or if it had, it didn't work the way Toph wanted it to.

He walked back to his own chamber with dragging feet. Oh well. At least something good had come out of it, at least for his own selfish purposes.

That thought was followed immediately by a surge of guilt; why _had_ Katara finally decided it was the right time? Was it just a way for her to avoid dealing with the situation with Aang, or with whatever it was Toph had said to her…or whatever she might have said back to Toph? These thoughts and more occupied his mind until he was forced to deal with paperwork and a Council session and the million other details of running a kingdom. But every free second of that day he found his mind automatically going back to worry at the problem.

To make it worse, Katara didn't show up for the noon meal, but she rarely did if she knew Aang was going to be there. Which today he was, although he didn't seem too surprised when the future Fire Lady didn't put in an appearance. His mother and Uncle Iroh, however, offered the Avatar sympathetic glances while at the same time steering the conversation toward as many neutral topics as they could manage.

It was one of the most frustrating lunches Zuko had ever forced himself to sit through.

**oOo**

While Zuko stewed, Katara was well into spending the day with Suki and her new nephew. She knew she was just avoiding things she needed to deal with, but she wanted a nice, unstressful day to go with the fantastic night she and Zuko had shared…not to mention the fabulous morning…

"Katara? Are you all right?"

She blinked at Suki's question, then realized it must not have been the first time her sister-in-law had asked it, since she'd actually shaken Katara's arm as she asked it. Sukka was dozing in the crook of her other arm, and Katara reached out to smooth down some of the fuzzy black hair before answering Suki. "I'm fine." She smiled, reaching an instant decision. "In fact, I'm more than fine."

Suki raised an eyebrow at that one. "Really. So your wool-gathering wasn't sulking or wallowing or anything like that?"

"Nope. It was…basking."

Now that had Suki's attention; she sat up straighter on the bed and carefully laid her sleeping son on the blankets by her side. "Spill," she ordered, a gleam of anticipation in her eyes.

Katara proceeded to do so, although she kept most of the details to herself, limiting her descriptions to generalities. But Suki caught the drift and drank in every word. She felt a flash of jealousy, quickly suppressed, at the fact that Katara and Zuko were advancing their relationship when hers had just come to an unfair end. But that was life, and maybe one day she'd even be willing to allow someone else into her life. Maybe.

"So that explains the basking," Suki said when Katara finally ran out of ways to describe her ecstatic glow. "But then why are you hiding out here?" It was past lunch time and nearly time for Sukka to wake up for his own second--or was it third?--meal of the day.

Katara's smile faded. "I'm not hiding," she protested, but weakly.

Suki gave her a tolerant grin. "Katara, did anyone ever tell you what a terrible liar you are?"

"Yeah. Everyone." Katara sighed. "Suki, are you angry with anyone because of what happened to Sokka?"

Suki contemplated the question before answering it, her eyes automatically drawn to her sleeping son. She fingered her betrothal necklace, then looked Katara squarely in the eye. "Yes and no."

"That's helpful," Katara grumbled.

Suki shrugged. "Sorry, it's just the way it is. Some days I hate everyone, even people who couldn't possibly have done anything to change things, and some days I know better and I don't blame anyone except that bastard who actually killed him." She closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. "It's hardest at night," she whispered, half to herself. "Even now, months later, whenever I wake up in the night, I still reach for him." She looked up at Katara. "But I don't blame Aang as much as you do. I know why he spared Ozai's life, and I know he'd probably do it all over again, even knowing the outcome. He doesn't compromise his principles, and that's something both Sokka and I always admired about him. And you know you do, too."

Katara looked down at her hands, surprised to realized they were clutching each other so tightly the knuckles shone white. "Yeah, you're right. But I don't know how to let go."

"When the time is right, you'll just do it," Suki counseled, not sure if her words were getting through. She pressed on; Katara willing to talk about the situation was one step closer to Katara forgiving Aang. "Everything takes time, we both know that."

"Do you hate me sometimes?" Katara whispered, dropping her head so her hair hid her face. She was ashamed of the question, ashamed of herself for asking, but felt the sudden need to know.

"Katara, sometimes I hate everyone alive," Suki replied frankly. "Including me and my baby. But it passes. Every day, it gets a little bit easier for me to let go of the hate and remember the love. It will for you, too."

Katara nodded, but Suki could tell it wasn't in full agreement, but let it go. She reached out and placed her hand on Katara's intertwined fingers. "Maybe once you forgive yourself it'll be easier to forgive Aang," she said softly.

_Bingo!_ Katara's eyes flew up to meet Suki's in startled denial, but any words of protest died on her lips as their gazes locked. "Maybe I will," was all she managed before freeing herself of Suki's gentle grasp and fleeing the room. Suki heard the front door slam a second later and sighed.

A tiny noise from her son brought her attention to him; he was squirming in his blankets, red faced and still mostly asleep, her beautiful little boy. She picked him up and nestled him close, crooning a half-remembered lullaby from her own youth until he settled down to continue his nap. "Just a few more hours, little man," she whispered, pressing a delicate kiss to his forehead. "Mommy needs a nap worse than you do right now." She leaned back against the pillow, carefully settling him by her side, and closed her eyes when it seemed he would stay asleep.

Just before she drowsed off, she murmured: "Aunty Katara will just have to figure things out on her own, now that she's actually willing to think about them."

* * *

_A/N: Whew, getting down to the wire, here! The next chapter is called "Amends" and the chapter after that might be the wedding...if something doesn't come up to delay that event, of course! Encourage me to continue or urge me to bring this story to its conclusion...it's all up to the readers how much longer I drag things out! :)_


	64. Amends

**Two Months Later**

Katara could hardly believe it; it was the eve of her wedding, and no disasters loomed. Suki and the baby were fine and healthy, Hakoda had finally started noticing the world around him and even taken an interest in his part in the wedding ceremony rehearsals, the unrest in the Earth Kingdom was easing, Mai had returned to Ba Sing Se after tactfully refusing to attend the ceremony, her only task for the rest of the day was to, well, rest…everything was perfect.

Almost.

She sighed as she gazed out the window of her room. Tonight was the last night she would ever spend in it. After tomorrow, it would be reserved for visiting Water Tribe dignitaries, just as the room across the hall was being decorated in Earth Kingdom styles and colors, a concession no Fire Lord had ever made. A small one, but it met with a great deal of enthusiastic approval. Just another sign that Zuko was destined to be the greatest Fire Lord ever, at least in Katara's humble, unbiased opinion.

She smiled at the thought, leaning her chin on her hand as she contemplated the view. She was sitting on a low chair in front of the wide-open windows, enjoying the unexpected warmth of a late autumn afternoon. Gradually her smile changed to a frown as she realized it was around this time last year that Azula had kidnapped her. And only a few short months ago Ursa had been poisoned, a war had been started and ended before it could spread, Sokka was killed…so much had happened, it was almost overwhelming to contemplate. "But it's over now," she said aloud, determined not to wallow in the bad. The wedding would close out that year, something good to balance all the evil.

"There's just one thing left to make everything perfect," she murmured to herself. As perfect as it ever could be without her brother by her side…she forced her thoughts away from that path; that way led only to anger and resentment, the path she'd been treading for far too long. Toph had given her hell that crucial day two months ago, and it had taken her this long to admit that a lot of what the Earth Bender said was right.

Ever since then she'd been steeling herself for a certain conversation she knew had to take place today, or it never would.

Standing up, she straightened her blue gown, adjusted her hair, and walked through the door.

It was time for her to face Aang.

**oOo**

"Aang?"

He looked up to see who had tracked him down to his favorite perch on the palace roof. It was Toph; startled to see her so far out of her element he leapt to his feet and made his sure-footed way to her side. She was clutching the edge of a stone chimney, her bare feet planted firmly on the red tiles that slanted down to the eaves. "Toph! What are you doing up here?"

"Enjoying the view," came her sarcastic response. "What do you think I'm doing? Looking for you." She offered a lop-sided smile. "Figured I'd check things out from your perspective; you know, see if I could appreciate being in your Element. Plus it's too nice a day to stay inside." It seemed impossible on a day like this to believe it was deep into fall with snow predicted within a month.

"All Elements are mine now," he reminded her as he reached her side. Cautiously reaching forward, he took her hand. "Please let me take you back inside."

She shook her head. "No. Take me to the edge." She tapped her foot on the tile. "Remember, I'm not completely out of my own Element; I've gotten pretty good at reading through the stone tiles inside the palace, and these are no different."

"Okay, if you're sure," Aang agreed doubtfully, but he kept Toph's hand in his as he led her down to the edge and made sure she was securely seated before joining her.

"Sooo…" Toph said after a few minutes. "This is what it's like to be an Air Bender."

"I guess."

Toph tried again. "You know, Twinkle Toes--"

"Yeah, Toph, I do know," he interrupted, seeing exactly where this was going. "Tomorrow's the wedding and Katara's still not talking to me and I can't spend all day moping about it." He squeezed her hand gently to show he wasn't angry with her. "Did that about cover it?"

"Uh, yup. Pretty much." Toph found herself at a rare loss for words. "You don't seem as upset as I thought you'd be."

"Listening to my heart rate, eh?" He nudged her with one arm, but carefully, and she was happy to jostle him back.

"It's not cheating if it's the only way to see," Toph replied virtuously, then giggled.

"I'm still upset that Katara won't talk to me," Aang said after a while. "It hurts, I wouldn't lie about that even if you couldn't tell I was. But I've always understood. It is my fault Sokka died, when it comes right down to it. I had the chance to take Ozai out forever, and instead I found a way to let him live."

"You mean, instead you found a way to take him down without compromising your principles," Toph corrected him firmly. "That's the only way to look at it. The only one responsible for killing Sokka is that power-hungry psycho, and let me tell you again how glad I am he died for that crime."

"Me, too."

Aang was startled, but Toph merely smiled to herself; she'd felt Katara's cautious approach over the roof tiles and knew exactly who'd joined them. "That's my cue," she announced, rising to her feet, Aang automatically standing up with her. "See you two later!" She scrambled easily over the tiles, giving Katara's arm a squeeze of encouragement before she vanished behind the chimney the other woman was leaning against.

Katara and Aang stood there, staring at each other, before the Avatar finally came to his senses. "Katara! What are you doing up here?" He made his way to her side; by the whiteness of her lips and knuckles, he doubted she would be as comfortable as Toph at joining him on the roof's edge. "Come on, let's go back inside…"

"No, I'm fine," Katara insisted, still clutching the chimney; if she'd been an Earth Bender, she'd have left finger-shaped indentations when she finally managed to prise herself free. "Aang, I know I've been unfair to you for a long time now. I just wanted to say…I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I let all my anger land on your shoulders."

Aang let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Katara. That means a lot to me."

"I'm still mad, you know," she continued softly, as if he hadn't spoken. "I think part of me always will be. But Toph's right; if you'd killed Ozai instead of just taking away his Fire Bending, then part of you would have died as well. And none of us would want that. Especially Sokka."

Aang looked at her consideringly. "No, Sokka would have wanted me to blast Ozai into nothingness, especially if he knew he was going to kill him in the future," he said at last. "But thanks for saying that. And thanks for coming up here to talk to me. I know it can be really hard to let go when you're angry."

Katara smiled, a crooked thing that barely twitched her lips, but it reached her eyes, where it counted, warming Aang's heart. "Ozai's not here for me to be mad at, to hate, and you are. It's unfair, but so was Sokka dying so young, before he could meet his son." She took a deep breath. "Aang, if you can be patient with me, don't push me…"

He nodded. "Of course. Whatever it takes."

She turned to go, then paused and looked back over her shoulder. "It's OK with me, you know, having you to stand with Zuko at our wedding. I know he wants you to, and I know how important it is, politically."

"How did you find me up here, any way?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Everyone knows you come up here to think," she replied with a shrug, then seemed to think better of the motion, slight as it was; her knuckles went even whiter, and Aang could swear he saw crumbles of mortar fall from between her fingers.

"Yeah, well, I'm all done thinking now, maybe we should go back inside," Aang urged, and Katara nodded her head eagerly.

"OK, if you say so," she replied, trying to sound casual, but he could see the relief in her eyes.

He followed behind as she picked her way carefully across the roof to the window opening she'd apparently used to climb out of, holding his breath as she reached the edge and sat on it. When she disappeared inside, he followed, a feeling of happiness spreading its magic glow throughout his insides. Katara was speaking to him again, and in time, things could be good between them again, friendly, just the way he wanted it.

That thought gave him pause; was it really the way he wanted it between them, friendship? Yes, yes it was, he decided with a feeling of wonder. For the first time he understood that his feelings truly had changed toward his former love. For the first time, he didn't have to quash his resentment towards Zuko down into a tiny ball and hide it away, because it was no longer there.

It felt more than good, it felt…great.

As he closed the attic shutters behind him, he wondered where Toph had gone, suddenly eager to tell her that she was no longer fighting a ghost for his heart.


	65. Baby, It's You

_A/N: I do not condone underage sex in the real world. Ever. Especially as the mom of a teenager and a tween. But this isn't the real world, it's the world of the Avatar, and so what follows is what seemed like what should follow after the last chapter. Enjoy and review - if you're old enough to be reading a rated "M" story, of course! :)_

* * *

**oOo**

Aang wandered through the autumn-colored trees and bushes of the "Wild Garden", heading for the small pond he and Toph called their special place. The place where he first kissed her.

The place where he finally started to let go of his feelings for Katara and began to believe there was still love in the world in spite of his hurt. And now that he wanted to tell Toph about the conversation he'd had with Katara, the realizations he'd reached, she was nowhere to be found. He snorted in annoyance. Typical Toph, only around to be a pain in someone's backside, but gone when you really wanted her.

He stopped short as he arrived at his destination, hearing a splash of water. Grounding himself, he tried to sense who it was, but he was wearing sandals. He kicked them off as silently as possible, then tried again, eyes closed, breathing soft and even, stretching his senses past his own respiration and heart beat to see what he could of the other person…

His eyes flew opened as he realized he'd found who he was looking for. He left his sandals where they lay, running up to the artificial pond in the middle of a tangle of trees, following the single path that led to it. "Toph!" he called out joyfully, then stopped short as he saw that she was actually in the pond. "Toph?" he asked, puzzled. "Why are you swimming?"

"Testing out another Element," she said lazily. "Come on in, the water's fine!" She tilted her head, reconsidering. "Well, it's actually a little chilly, but maybe you could Fire Bend it a little warmer. Me and the fish would really appreciate it!"

Aang moved slowly forward, his eyes taking in the fact that Toph's clothes were strewn haphazardly on and around the one bench that faced the pond. All of her clothes, he realized with widening eyes; even her privacy wraps… "Toph!" he squeaked her name this time. "Are you skinny dipping?!?"

"Yup." She pretended she was going to stand up, and Aang turned around so rapidly he almost gave himself whiplash.

A peal of laughter rang out behind him; apparently Toph could "see" his reaction, and his blush deepened. "Toph, what if someone sees you?!?"

"Come on, Aang, no one ever comes to this pond except us," she scoffed. "Besides, anyone out walking is gonna be looking at the fall flowers the gardeners have been so busy setting up along the paths in the formal gardens. Either that or they're running around with wedding preparations."

"Uh, yeah, right," Aang replied weakly. It was awkward, talking to the tree in front of him, but until he could find a way to excuse himself he was stuck. Everything he'd meant to tell Toph had gone right out of his head.

He heard a splash behind him, then a deep, exaggerated sigh. "OK, it's safe to look. I'm not gonna stand up."

He turned slowly, ready to whip around if she was trying to tease him, but she was as good as her word, nothing showing except her head and the tops of her shoulders in the murky water. "Sure you don't wanna join me?" There was a definite note of mischief in her voice.

"You said it was cold," he stammered, hoping she couldn't sense how mortified he was right now; surely her senses would be diffused by the water…

No such luck. "What's the matter, O Mighty Avatar?" she asked as her grin turned wicked. "Scared?"

Without another word Aang sat down on the warm ground and removed his outer garments. Wearing only a loin wrap, he stepped to the edge of the pond, gauging where he wanted to end up carefully. At its deepest point the water was just above his head, but only for a few steps in either direction of the center. Making sure Toph was well out of the way, he closed his eyes, held his breath, and jumped in.

He came back up almost immediately, gasping and spluttering; the water was a lot colder than he'd expected. "How can you stand it?" he asked Toph as he swam a few strokes to where his feet could touch bottom.

"Cause cold doesn't bother me that much," Toph replied with a shrug.

"Why are we doing this again?" Aang grumbled, but lightly; now that he was getting used to it, it actually felt pretty refreshing. He assumed that was the Water Bending part of him, although he did surreptitiously warm the water a few degrees anyway. For Toph's sake, of course, he told himself virtuously. And the fish.

"Relaxing," Toph reminded him, the wide grin returning, lighting up her face. Her pale eyes were fully visible, her hair slicked back against her head, and Aang was suddenly struck by how beautiful she was.

"Well it agrees with you," he blurted out. Damn, he was blushing again.

This time she joined him. "Yeah, well, um, thanks."

"Um, you're welcome." An uncomfortable silence overcame them.

"So, did you go full nude or cheat and leave on a loin wrap?"

Aang lost his footing and went underwater with a splash, then came back up coughing and hacking. He felt Toph pounding on his back, telling him to take shallow breaths and holding him by his elbow. He turned to face her and came face to face with proof that she hadn't bothered leaving anything on at all; her breasts bobbed in the water, bare and, Gods help him, beautiful. He felt his own reaction making the loin wrap suddenly uncomfortable and pulled away, turning his head and pretending to still cough to cover his confusion.

"Aang, it's all right," Toph said softly. "You know I wanted you to look or I wouldn't have stripped all the way down. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you."

She started to pull away, but he stopped her, turning back to face her, this time allowing himself to look his fill.

What he said next wasn't what he intended to say. "Katara said she was sorry," he blurted. "And she said maybe we could go back to the way things were."

"Oh." One word, but a world of hurt contained in it as Toph turned away. "Great."

"Toph, I meant she said we might be able to go back to being friends," Aang said, wincing at himself for being so clumsy about this, but really, it was her own fault, showing off her body like that and rattling him. "And that's all I want from her, just her friendship again. I miss it."

"But you don't miss her being your girlfriend?" Toph asked. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes," Aang replied firmly. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Toph turned back toward him, smiling, and he swallowed. Hard. She must have sensed his reaction, because she laughed, but didn't turn away, just walked up to him and put her arms around him. Pressing herself against him. Kissing him. He kissed her back fervently, hugging her to him, wondering if she could feel the visceral reaction she was causing in him, blushing at the pictures that started presenting themselves in his mind, flashes of what the two of them could be doing now instead of just kissing...

Toph broke the kiss first. "Aang, have you ever, you know, done it?"

He gaped at her for a moment. "Is it—is it a problem if I have?" he asked cautiously. "Or if I haven't?"

"Well, I haven't," she replied frankly. "It might be a little awkward if neither one of us knows what we're doing."

"Uh, well, yeah, there was one time," Aang admitted. "Not Katara," he added hastily. "It was after we broke up." He could have kicked himself for giving out too much information; surely Toph didn't want details…

Then again, this was Toph. "Who with?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Does it matter? It was just the one time," Aang stammered, not sure how this conversation had started or why it was continuing when all he wanted to do was…stop talking and kiss Toph. So he did, but she pushed him away after a few delicious seconds.

"Well? Who was it? It was someone I know, wasn't it? Otherwise you wouldn't mind telling me. Spit it out!" Her tone was demanding, curious, and implacable all at once.

"Ty Lee," Aang blurted, feeling his face burn. Obviously Toph wasn't going to let this go; might as well get it over with. "I was visiting Kyoshi Island and Ty Lee was showing me around and took me to a bar and we both got kinda drunk and she asked if I'd ever, and I said no, and she asked if I wanted to, and I said yes, and, well, we did." The blush went over his entire body, but he'd told Toph, and if she was going to be mad at him about it, at least it was now and not later, when things had gone farther.

"Oh. Ty Lee," Toph said after a moment. "That's…totally not what I expected. Wow."

"You're not—you're not mad at me, are you?" He had to know, because if it was a problem…he had no idea what to do about it.

"Huh? Oh, no, just surprised." A mischievous smile lit up her features. "So, at least one of us knows what to do. Good." Then she was back in his arms, tugging at his loin wrap, kissing him, and the moment may not have been right but it certainly felt as if it was, and he let her knock him down into the shallows in her enthusiasm, and if it hurt the first time she didn't let him know, but she certainly let him know how much she enjoyed the second time, and he was very, very glad there was no one around because Ty Lee had been much quieter. Much, much quieter.

He wasn't able to form coherent thoughts for a long, lovely time, but when he did, he decided a noisy Toph was preferable to a quiet Ty Lee any day. No offense to the girl who'd been his first, but the only emotions involved at that time were sympathy and self-pity. Really caring about the girl made all the difference in the world.


	66. Wedding Day Jitters?

**The Next Morning**

The morning dawned bright and sunny, the warm weather continuing to hold, not a cloud in sight, and no sense of rain in the air that Katara could sense as she stretched and rolled over to look at the open window.

It was just coming up dawn, and Katara had been awake for a few minutes, smiling at nothing as the rays of the sun entered her room. Her last morning waking up alone, and she felt…nauseous. Just like yesterday and the day before. She never actually got sick, and once she ate she felt okay so she knew it was just nerves, but it still kinda stunk. Wedding days should be perfect from start to finish, but she'd take what she could. "The rest of the day will be great, fantastic, wonderful—urp!" She barely made it to the facilities before her stomach upended itself. "Great, fantastic, wonderful," she grumbled to herself as she cleaned up and made her way back to sit on the edge of her bed. "How come today I actually had to go and get sick?!?"

A knock came at the door, heralding the arrival of her grandmother with a breakfast tray and a huge smile that faded as she saw Katara's green face. Kanna placed the tray down on the foot of the bed and ordered her granddaughter back under the covers. "Well, this is unexpected," she announced with a vaguely disapproving frown.

"It's just nerves," Katara insisted, trying to look healthy. Unfortunately, the smell of the food Kanna had brought was making her stomach do uneasy flip-flops even though it had just emptied itself of last night's meal. "Um, Gran-Gran, do you think maybe you could take that away? I don't think I can eat it."

"No, I don't think you can," Kanna agreed, eyeing her granddaughter through narrowed eyes. "Hm, weak tea and toast, that'll have to do. And don't overdo things at the wedding feast later or you'll regret it in the morning – and I don't just mean the alcohol," she added sternly as she scooped the tray back up and marched toward the door. "I'll be back, young lady."

_Great, what did I do now?_ Katara moaned inwardly. Gran-Gran sounded mad just because she was having a little pre-wedding jitters. Wasn't that supposed to be natural?

She'd fallen back into a drowse before Kanna appeared again, this time bearing a smaller tray holding only a tea pot, two cups and a plate with a couple of pieces of toasted bread. She set that tray next to Katara, who struggled to a sitting position. Once she was comfortably settled against a pile of pillows, Kanna poured the tea and ordered her to drink. It was chamomile and ginger, not one of Katara's favorite combinations, but today it was soothing on her stomach and she found herself eagerly asking for a second cup.

After she finished and Gran-Gran was half-way through her first, the toast even started to look good, and she gobbled down one piece before Kanna warned her to take it easy. "I'll be fine, Gran-Gran, it's just nerves!"

Her grandmother didn't smile, just continued to study Katara as she had been since returning to the room. "How do you feel other than your stomach?" she finally asked. "Have you been tired lately, feeling run down?"

Katara nodded. "Sure, everything's been so crazy the last few weeks, who wouldn't be?" Wow, what was with her grandmother today? Shouldn't she just be focusing on the wedding and getting Katara ready instead of fretting about how she'd been feeling lately?

"Hmm," was Kanna's only comment. Abruptly she reached forward and literally poked at Katara's breasts.

"Gran-Gran!" was her granddaughter's horrified comment as she reached up protectively and covered her bosom. "What'd you do _that_ for?"

"Did it hurt? Are they sensitive?"

"Of course they're sensitive," Katara snapped, seriously annoyed now. "You poked them!"

"I meant more sensitive than usual," her grandmother replied testily. "Have they been feeling sensitive in general."

Katara nodded, thinking about it; obviously it was important or Gran-Gran wouldn't have asked. "Yeah, I guess they have, now that you mention it…" Her voice trailed off. "Why?" she asked suspiciously.

Kanna sighed. "Katara, did you and Zuko, have you, um, already had your wedding night?"

"Gran-Gran!" This was too much; there was only so much a girl was going to share with her grandmother, especially on _that_ subject! She felt herself blushing, which she knew Kanna would read as a "yes," and just wished the older woman would go away and leave her alone.

"When did it happen?"

Oh no, that was _really_ too much. "Gran-Gran, I love you, but that's none of your business…"

"It is when people will start counting on their fingers to see how close to the wedding the baby is born afterwards!" she snapped.

"Baby?" Katara squeaked. "You think I'm…no, oh no, it's impossible!"

"Only if you haven't already spent the night with your future husband," Kanna replied, more gently this time. "Have you? How have your moon weeks been?"

"I haven't been…I mean, it's been so hectic lately, I guess I just wasn't paying attention…" Katara stammered, then lay back on her pillows with a groan, one arm covering her eyes. "Oh no, this can't be happening…it was only one time…"

"Once is enough," Kanna replied with an inward sigh. "When? We'll need to plan on what to tell people when the baby comes earlier than expected."

"About two months ago," Katara whispered, feeling the flush spread from head to foot. How could this have happened? What would Zuko say? They wouldn't even have time to be man and wife before suddenly becoming father and mother as well. This was a disaster!

"Well, it's not a disaster," Kanna pronounced as if reading her granddaughter's mind. She stood up briskly. "Your dress still fits just fine, but I thought you were filling out the bodice a bit more than you did the first time you tried it on. And two months early isn't too bad, especially if the child comes late, like Suki's boy did. It'll work out. But you'd better let Zuko know before the ceremony; if anyone needs to know the truth, it's him."

"We wanted to wait, after that one night," Katara said in a low monotone, still trying to take it all in. "We decided it would make tonight more special…" She groaned again. "Gran-Gran, how could I let this happen?"

"Katara, you won't be the first bride to start the wedding celebration early, and you certainly won't be the last," Kanna said with a smile. "Your brother Sokka, as I recall, was born--"

"Stop," Katara ordered, raising her hand. "I don't want to know about that. I really don't. I just want to get through this day without my head exploding. Please."

"Fair enough," Kanna said with a nod. "Shall I have the Fire Lord join you here for a private chat before the rest of the day gets started?"

"Thanks," Katara said weakly, sliding down once more under the covers until only the top of her head showed. "After that I guess you can send in everyone else to start getting me ready." The ceremony was set for mid-day, the feast for shortly after that, then speeches and politicking to fill out the afternoon. She and Zuko were off to Ember Island for the first part of their honeymoon in the morning, during which, she realized, they'd have plenty of alone-time to talk about their current predicament.

No, she couldn't think of it that way, that was no way for a baby to be welcomed into the world. She listened as Kanna lifted the tray off the bed and headed out the door, closing it firmly behind her. Then she rolled on her side and hid her face in her hands. What was Zuko going to say? Would he be upset, excited, too stunned to react? What if he blamed her; after all, she'd been the one to go to him, not the other way around, and he'd asked her if she wanted to stop and she'd been the one to say no, don't stop…

She'd worked herself up into a near-panic by the time a second knock came at her door. "Katara?" Zuko stuck his head in, a worried expression on his face. "Your grandmother said it was important. Are you all right? Are you sick? Do we need to postpone the ceremony?"

His anxious solicitude was too much; Katara sat up, flinging the covers off and holding out her arms for him to hug her. "Zuko!" she wailed. "It's all my fault, I'm so sorry, I should have listened to you when you asked me if I was sure, but I _was_ sure, I know I was, but now this!"

He'd reached her side less than half-way through this incoherent stream of babble, and she dropped her head to his shoulder, crying, while he patted her back and tried to tell her it was all right.

"Not it's not!" she sobbed. "I didn't even realize... And the moon is what I'm supposed to be attuned to, how could I miss something like that? I mean, once, yeah, I guess, but twice??"

Zuko took her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. "Katara, you're not making any sense," he growled. "What's wrong?" He felt his heart give a little skip. "You're not—you're not changing your mind, are you?"

"What? No!!" she protested with a sniffle. "It's just that, Gran-Gran said people would talk when it came so soon after the wedding, and I don't want to be an embarrassment or make you look bad, but maybe it'll be late, like Suki and things won't be so bad!"

"Katara! What are you talking about?" Zuko finally shouted, losing all patience and clueless as to what exactly was going on.

"I'm pregnant!" Katara wailed, then dropped her head into her hands and sobbed. "I'm sorry, I should have waited like you wanted to, and now people will be gossiping and I've ruined everything!!"

Pregnant. Katara was…pregnant? After just one time…well, more than one time, actually. Just one night, Zuko amended his dazed thoughts. Pregnant? Katara carrying his child? He stared at her, mouth open with a combination of shock and the need to say something reassuring. Anything would do, anything at all… "Are you sure?" he heard himself ask, wishing immediately to take the words back. Of course she was sure or she wouldn't have said anything. Katara might not know much about pregnancy, but Kanna surely did. "I mean, of course you're sure," he stammered out. "Sorry. It's just, whatever I was expecting, this wasn't it."

That wasn't helping, either; Katara's sobs deepened, and he reached out awkwardly to pat her on the shoulder. Then he gave himself a mental shake; Katara was devastated, terrified, and he was treating her like a stranger. That wouldn't do, it wouldn't do at all…and really, why was she so upset? These things happened, and it was as much his fault as it was hers, he could have said no just as easily as giving in to his desire. He told her so, about as incoherently as she'd been speaking, but as he spoke the feeling grew on him that this was a wonderful thing, and he told her that as well. Smiling, brushing away her tears, suddenly finding all the right words to calm her down. "I love you, Katara, and I love our baby, now that I know about him." He placed a reverent hand on her stomach. "Wow, a baby," he whispered, sounding awed. "Our baby. That's awesome."

"Really?" Katara still sounded doubtful, but at least she'd stopped crying. He offered her the edge of her sheet to wipe her eyes and nose; she wouldn't be sleeping in them tonight anyway. "Are you sure? You're not mad?"

"How could I be mad? We did this together, and that's how we'll see it through: together." He took her hands in his, kissing each knuckle tenderly. "Katara, you and I together, we already know how good we can be. Now everyone will know how much we love each other, how committed we are to being together forever. The wedding ceremony is just for the public, you know that. To tell the world and the Gods what we already know."

"I love you, too, Zuko," Katara said, tears threatening to spill again, but happy ones this time. "You're right; as long as we're together, we can do anything." Her smile faded. "We should probably tell your mother and Uncle Iroh," she said doubtfully. "Since Gran-Gran already knows. And my father, and Suki…"

Zuko laughed. "We'll tell the world. _After_ the wedding," he added. "That's what we have to focus on today. Deal?"

"Deal," Katara agreed happily. "Now you'd better get out of here, or you'll find yourself surrounded by a bunch of women all waiting to put miles of fabric on me and paint my face and put up my hair."

"Yeah, that's not exactly a world where a man is welcome," Zuko agreed, leaning forward to kiss her, gently, on the lips. "I'll see you at the ceremony," he whispered.

"See you there," Katara agreed, smiling as he left the room. She hadn't ruined everything; she should have known Zuko would know exactly what to say to calm her nerves. And her stomach had settled down, apparently happy with the soothing tea and toast she'd consumed.

Nothing could spoil this day for her now.

* * *

_A/N: Whew, I'm on a roll now! Up next, the moment you've all been waiting for: the wedding of the millenium! (Well, of the Avatar-verse millenium, anyway!) RnR as always, pretty please!_


	67. Happily Ever After

**oOo**

The headdress was so elaborate Katara was afraid her neck would break under its weight. But once it had been carefully placed on her head, she discovered it was lighter than it looked, and so cunningly balanced that she barely noticed it was there, except for the tassels that swung over each ear and threatened her eyes with every move she made. A hurried conference was held by the women responsible for that part of her wedding outfit—there were only three of them as opposed to the dizzying number of women required to help her with the gown and all its under layers—and the offending tassels shortened by looping them over the protruding whatever-they-were-called thingies that they dangled from.

Everything was off-white and gold, with the exception of the elaborate stitching on the bodice of her over-gown; that was a careful blend of blues and reds. She felt vaguely like a national flag; all that was missing was orange for the Air Nomads and green for the Earth Nation and she could represent every Element. When her slippers appeared, she held back a sigh: there was the green and orange, subtly represented in the laces over the white and gold body of the delicate shoes themselves. No one would see it under the layers and layers of her gown, but she knew it was there, and she knew why. Everyone else in the world got the wedding of their dreams with no political overtones, she grumbled to herself, knowing it was an unfair assessment, but not caring at the moment.

"Lady Katara, please! You must not frown like that!" the woman in charge of her make-up exclaimed, horrified. Katara instantly smoothed her features out to the serene lines required of her, but continued her internal cursing. Stupid, stupid; she and Zuko should have just run off to the South Pole and had their wedding there. Or the North Pole. Or maybe they should have just run off, period, and left someone else to have The Political Wedding of the Millennium.

"It will be over soon, little one," Kanna murmured softly into her ear. Reading her mind again, Gran-Gran was, but this time Katara smiled, quickly removing the expression at the scolding glance she received from the Make-up Mistress, even as she obediently held her arms out so the Wardrobe Mistress and her umpty-zillion assistants could attach the sleeves of her under-gown to its delicately embroidered bodice. Part of that lacy confection would peek out from the lower-cut vest that came next, and part of that, in turn, would show under her heavily embroidered over-gown.

The Wardrobe Mistress and her helpers finished that job, then bustled off to gather up the next pile of frothy fabric. "I feel like an idiot," Katara mouthed sideways through unmoving lips so only Kanna, Toph and Suki could hear her.

"You probably look like one, too," Toph agreed cheerfully, not bothering to lower her own voice. Suki stifled a giggle.

"Well, let's just say it's a good thing you can't see what you look like," Katara muttered crossly. Each attendant wore elaborate gowns based on the traditional wedding clothes of their own nations; Toph in green and beige, Ty Lee in Fire Nation reds and oranges, and Suki in the blues and whites of her adopted Water Tribe home.

Attendants was where Katara had put her foot down, refusing to have more than those three by her side. "I've got someone representing each of the existing nations," she argued. "What more do we need than that? Besides, these are my closest female friends, and I don't want to have a bunch of court ladies foisted on me just because 'it's tradition.' We're starting a new tradition here, and if I really wanted to be stubborn you know I could insist on a lot more Water Tribe traditions." Zuko had backed her up, although she secretly believed it was so he wouldn't have to have more than the Avatar stand up with him as well. If Sokka had been alive…she didn't dare go there. Not today.

So many of their other friends were there, however, taking up the rows of benches behind the family members that it made Katara even dizzier than looking at her headdress to think about them: Earth Benders, master swordsmen, Northern Water Tribesfolk, people from swamps and mountains and Ba Sing Se and everywhere else they'd traveled when Aang first appeared in her life…it was daunting and wonderful and frightening, but all she had to do was think about Zuko and the new life they'd accidentally created and she knew it would all be worth it.

Every layer of the gown was like a layer of her life lived so far, and she suddenly felt less like a flag and more like a representative of how diverse cultures could come together in peace.

That feeling of serenity lasted exactly as long as it took them to finish preparing her and for her grandmother to say: "Well, it's time. I'll see you after the ceremony," and disappear through the door that led to the garden where the altar had been set up.

After that, the whole ceremony passed in a daze until she was kissing Zuko and being crowned Fire Lady, and she had to quiz Toph and Suki and Ty Lee during the feast to get the details she missed.

oOo

Zuko couldn't stop smiling. He was married; he was really married. To Katara. He'd made an outstanding political match, and it was to the woman he loved. How could he have born so lucky? The ceremony itself passed in a blur, the words he'd been given to speak coming out correctly, or at least correctly enough that the priest declared them Fire Lord and Lady, husband and wife, bound together for eternity, if he had anything to say about it.

At first he'd been terrified, but once Katara appeared, everything vanished except the sight of her in her gorgeous wedding clothes, gliding so gracefully toward him it was as if she was floating. Floating right into his arms, although he remembered at the last second that all he was supposed to do was take her hands in his and face the priest, not embrace her like he wanted to. The kiss he placed on her lips after the ceremony was almost chaste, but held the promise of something more to come, as did the sparkle in her eyes as she gazed up at him.

The ceremony and crowning were over, the feast was in full swing, there would be speeches and dancing and various forms of entertainment, and best of all, he was married to Katara. Second best of all was the fact that she'd made up with Aang, at least enough not to show obvious resentment at his presence not only at the wedding but sitting next to him at the table while they picked at the food everyone else seemed to be enjoying so much. Zuko could hardly taste anything, and he suspected the same of Katara, although it might just be the baby…that was another blissful thought. They were going to have a baby, maybe a girl with Katara's beautiful blue eyes and dark tresses, maybe a son he could teach to Fire Bend and play ball games with..

"You seem pretty happy."

Zuko came to awareness of his surroundings with a start. It was Aang who'd spoken, and he felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment as he realized he'd been lost in a daydream. "Uh, yeah, who wouldn't be?" He took Katara's hand in his and smiled at her. She smiled back, planted a quick kiss on his cheek, and went back to talking to Suki and Toph, something about "how did I look up there?" and wanting details of how the dress flowed or something like that. Stuff he could care less about, to be honest; it wasn't the dress he cared about, just the woman underneath it. And not too much later, he hoped, he'd be the one removing all those layers and revealing the woman underneath…

He started at Aang's happy chuckle. "Zuko, you are one crazy in love guy," he said when he saw that he'd regained the Fire Lord's attention. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Zuko replied sincerely. "That means a lot to me. I know things haven't always been good between us—" Now _that_ was an understatement! "—but we're friends now, good friends, and I'm just happy that all _this _didn't come between us." He waved a hand, indicating the ceremony, the events of the day, and, of course, Katara. He came to an awkward stop, not sure what to say next, worrying that he'd blundered into opening up old wounds, but Aang just smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

"It's all right, Zuko," he said softly, so no one else could hear. "I'm finally over her, have been for a while. Now I can see how perfect you two are for each other." He allowed his smile to turn wistful. "That doesn't mean I won't sometimes wonder how it could have turned out for us if things had been different, but it does mean I won't ever resent you two for the love you found." The smile became shy. "Besides, Toph would pop me one if I started mooning over Katara again."

Zuko gaped at him. "You and Toph? Since when? I mean, congratulations!" he added hastily.

"Since we got back from blasting your psycho dad's stupid rebellion," Toph interjected, leaning across Katara to make herself heard. She grinned at their surprised expressions. "What, you thought I couldn't hear you just because you lowered your voices a little?" She pointed to one ear. "These babies are finely tuned instruments." She made a face. "Plus I'm kinda tired of talking about the stupid dresses. No offense, Sugar Queen," she added, patting Katara's hand.

"Um, none taken," was Katara's somewhat taken aback reply. "Maybe you'd like to shift seats so you and Aang can talk better?"

With that Zuko found himself suddenly sitting in his bride's seat while she took Toph's and Toph took his, happily ensconcing herself between him and the Avatar. "Finally," she sighed. "Maybe I can get some sensible conversation now."

Of course that was when the speeches started up, and no one was talking except ambassadors and Fire Sages and even Aang, who had been forced into speechmaking against his will. But knowing that Katara was on the road to forgiving him made it go much easier than he'd feared, and he retook his seat with a sense of relief that no one had visibly nodded off as he spoke.

Speeches, dancing, more feasting, musicians and jugglers and even a small theatrical offering from the Ember Island Players, more dancing after that…the sun was well on its way to setting before Zuko was allowed to rise from his seat to indicate that he and Katara were leaving the guests to their own amusements for the night.

Hakoda and Kanna rose as well, to hug and kiss Katara, and Zuko endured the same embraces from his uncle and mother before everyone changed hugging spots and the whole thing started over again. He endured it patiently, and even watched with some amusement as the relatives then turned to embracing each other.

His mother and uncle shared an especially warm hug and remained with their arms around each other as they waved him and Katara good-bye. Hmm. They _had_ been sitting rather cozily together the entire time… He found himself wondering how long it would take them to decide they'd wasted enough time and have their own wedding, then dismissed the thought as Katara turned her radiant smile on him and shyly took his hand in hers. Everything and everyone else vanished at that touch, there was no one else in the world and nowhere else he wanted to be than with her.

They managed to stay at a dignified stroll until they reached the corridor leading to their chambers; then, with a giggle, Katara tightened her grip on his hand, lifted her cumbersome skirts above her ankles, and took off at a run. For once the guards came in handy, hauling the heavy wooden doors open and closing them after the newlyweds without a single word.

Katara and Zuko barely noticed, too engrossed in each other to spare time for palace functionaries whom they had no intention of seeing again until well into the morning hours, if then. Katara giggled again as Zuko frowned over the various layers of clothing he had to get through, but after patiently undoing the over-gown and its sleeves and bodice and whatnot, he finally gave in and simply ripped through the others, dropping them to the floor as Katara's fingers busily undid his own, less elaborate fripperies.

Finally they stood before each other wearing nothing but smiles; Zuko had impatiently tossed the headdress aside and simply run his fingers through Katara's hair until a shower of hairpins had rained onto the floor, allowing her glossy black tresses to fall to her waist. She spared a moment to wipe away the bulk of the elaborate makeup she'd been painted with, but no longer; then they were in each other's arms, tumbling onto the bed, eager for each other, impatient for each other, drinking each other in.

The first time was quick, because of that impatience, but the rest of the night passed in a series of gentle embraces, each giving and receiving what they'd longed for, Zuko showing and Katara eagerly learning what lovemaking could be.

If the morning had begun with panic and nausea, the night ended with ecstasy and joy.

"I love you," Zuko whispered as the morning sun began to rise.

Katara smiled back at him sleepily. "I love you too," she murmured in reply.

Whatever else the future held, that much could never be denied.

* * *

_Author's Final Note: Well, here it is. The last chapter of the longest thing I have ever written (including term papers and an undergraduate thesis). I'v actually kinda-sorta started a sequel, but don't want to start posting until I actually have a plot and a couple of chapters under my belt. Please let me know what you thought, and thank you for coming along for this long, convoluted ride. Thank you to everyone for reviewing, and especially those who pointed out my silly mistakes and answered my questions. Bye for now!_


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